Neil Johnson (basketball)

Neil Johnson

Personal information
Born	(1943-04-17) April 17, 1943 (age 78) Jackson, Michigan
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	George Washington (New York City, New York)
College	Creighton (1964–1966)
NBA draft	1966 / Round: 2 / Pick: 15th overall
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets
Playing career	1966–1973
Position	Power forward / Center
Number	11, 24
Career history
1966–1968	New York Knicks
1968–1970	Phoenix Suns
1970–1973	Virginia Squires
Career highlights and awards
ABA All-Star (1971)
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points	2,633 (6.9 ppg)
Rebounds	2,003 (5.3 rpg)
Assists	632 (1.7 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Neil A. Johnson (born April 17, 1943) is a retired American basketball player born in Jackson, Michigan.

A 6'7" forward/center from Creighton University, Johnson played four seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the New York Knicks (1966–1968) and Phoenix Suns (1968–1970), then spent three seasons (1970–1973) in the American Basketball Association with the Virginia Squires. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his professional career and appeared in the 1971 ABA All-Star Game.^[1]

Known as an "enforcer", Johnson is remembered in the ABA oral history book Loose Balls for punching Warren Jabali in a game between the Virginia Squires and Denver Rockets. Referee John Vanak called the punch "the most devasating punch [he'd] ever seen on the court". According to Vanak, Jabali was one of the most physical players in the ABA, and had been shoving Johnson and his teammates throughout the game until Johnson retaliated. Dave Twardzik of the Squires recalled, "It scared the hell out of me, but the guys on my team were loving it because the whole league hated Jabali."^[2]

References[]