He has a squeaky voice. He is only 5'11. But he commands respect.
Avery Johnson, a graduate of Southern University is a man of many firsts. He is the first NBA coach to win the “NBA Coach of the Month” award in his first two months as a head coach. He is the fastest coach to reach 50 wins in his career. And last but not least, he is the first coach to lead the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals.
Johnson is a former NBA player who fought his way to the top. After attending New Mexico Junior College and Southern University, Johnson spent 16 years playing for several teams in the NBA, though he is mainly known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs. Johnson was part of the 1999 Spurs team that won the NBA championship against the New York Knicks in which he hit the series clinching shot in Game 5.
Johnson retired as a player and became a Mavericks assistant coach before the 2004-05 seasons. After replacing Don Nelson as head coach on March 19, 2005, he recorded the best start by a first time coach in league history in winning 66 of his first 82 games- equivalent of a full season!
Avery Johnson, “Little General” has accomplished a great deal and is another HBCU graduate that is shining amongst the stars!
Posted By: Jehan Bunch
Tuesday, June 6th 2006 at 9:36AM
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