Avery Johnson

About Avery Johnson

Avery Johnson (born March 25, 1965 in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Johnson is known as the "Little General" for his small (by NBA standards) stature, his leadership skills as a point guard and floor general, and his close friendship with former San Antonio Spurs teammate David "The Admiral" Robinson.

As a high school senior in 1983, Johnson led New Orleans' St. Augustine High School to a 35-0 record and the Class 4A Louisiana State Championship. Johnson matriculated at New Mexico Junior College before moving on to Cameron University, and finally Southern University, with whom in his senior season in 1988 he led the NCAA with 13.3 assists per game, a senior and all-time record that still stands. Upon graduation in 1988 Johnson was not selected in the NBA Draft. After a summer season with the USBL's Palm Beach Stingrays, however, Johnson was signed by the Seattle SuperSonics and managed to spend the next 16 years playing in the NBA, including stints with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Mavericks. A true journeyman as a player, occasionally being traded, or even waived, mid-season, Johnson is best known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs (1991, 1992–1993, 1994–2001), particularly his integral role on the 1999 Spurs team that won the NBA championship against the New York Knicks in which he hit the championship-clinching shot in Game 5. The San Antonio Spurs retired Avery Johnson's number 6 on December 22, 2007 in a home game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He was also inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame on February 20, 2009.

After spending the 2003–2004 season playing with the Golden State Warriors, Johnson signed as a player-coach with the Dallas Mavericks under Don Nelson. Johnson had played under Nelson from 2001–2003, and it was understood from the beginning that Johnson was being groomed to eventually succeed Nelson as head coach. On October 28, 2004, Johnson retired from playing to concentrate full-time on coaching, and his transition from assistant to head coach came five months later on March 19, 2005.