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CELTIC-NATION
In
reading about you, I learned that we have something else
in common: Our
parent’s houses burned down around Christmas.
Please take me back to that time in your life and
how your family handled this difficult situation.
DENNIS JOHNSON
 This
was actually a little further along in my life – I was
attending Pepperdine University in Malibu and playing
basketball for Gary Colson.
Sometime during the Christmas season my mother
phoned me with news that the house had burned down to
the ground. The
cause of the fire was never really determined, although
it appeared to have been electrical – faulty wiring,
or something of that nature.
It
was a stressful situation for our family.
I knew my parents needed help, and I wanted to
help. I briefly considered leaving college and finding a job so
that I could help them get back on their feet.
I discussed my options with Coach Colson, and he
advised me to stay in school because there was a very
real possibility that I’d be drafted.
Up until then I’d never really considered
playing professionally.
That thought had never dawned on me.
Fortunately, my uncle was able to help out with
my parent’s situation.
He had two houses and offered one of them as a
way to make it through this crisis.
Nobody likes a handout, but circumstances
dictated otherwise.
His generosity eased the burden on my family and
allowed me to stay in school.
CELTIC-NATION
You
graduated in 1972, but there was a brief detour on your
pathway to college.
You joined the workforce immediately after high
school, going to work in a liquor store and a tape
warehouse and playing summer league basketball on a team
coached by one of your brothers.
DENNIS JOHNSON
I’d
considered Compton Community College after graduation,
as well as a number of other schools both inside and
outside of the district.
Unfortunately there weren’t any scholarship
opportunities waiting for me, so college wasn’t a
realistic of option.
Based on my financial situation I decided to get
a job instead. I
worked in warehouses and drove forklifts.
The work wasn’t bad, but at the same time I
knew that it wasn’t for me.
I wanted something more out of my life.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with these
types of jobs, and my hat goes off to the people who
work them. I
just wasn’t satisfied, and I knew that there had to be
other opportunities out there.
My brothers were involved in a summer basketball
league in San Pedro, and after work I would catch the
bus and play ball with them.
One of my brothers coached our team, and three of
my brothers played.
It was a good period in my life and I enjoyed
those games a great deal.
My game improved tremendously
It helped that I’d grown several inches between
graduation and competing in the summer league, and that
I’d continued to work out and stay in shape. By this time I was 6’-3” and much stronger than I was in
high school.
CELTIC-NATION
One
of the games you played in was against Harbor Junior
College, at the time coached by Jim White.
How did this game change your life?
DENNIS JOHNSON
Playing
in front of Coach White was a huge event, one of the
most important things to ever happen to me.
My brother organized the game against Harbor
Junior College. Coach
White saw me play, and was impressed enough to invite me
over for a tryout.
Harbor was close to home, so it was an ideal
situation for me. I
played there for two years before transferring to
Pepperdine.
I was somewhat of a wild stallion at the time,
young and emotional and very sure of myself.
Coach White and I butted heads on occasion. Now that I’m a coach myself [with the Los Angeles Clippers]
I can see some of the same things with my players and it
helps me to appreciate Coach White even more.
As a father I can see it, too.
Being older and wiser puts things in a different
perspective.
CELTIC-NATION
Please
tell me a little about Coach White’s role in getting
you into Pepperdine.
DENNIS JOHNSON
Coach
White worked hard to get me into a Division I university
and I’m very appreciative for that.
He called a friend who was an assistant coach at
Pepperdine. Coach Colson had already seen me play, so he knew what kind
of player he was getting and I think that made his
decision a lot easier.
I played one season for Pepperdine, and after
talking to Colson I declared myself eligible for the
1976 draft. I
was allowed to do this because, technically, my junior
year at Pepperdine represented my fourth year of college
had I gone there directly from high school.
It’s the same junior eligible rule that the
Celtics used to select Larry Bird.
Going
into the draft only two GMs really knew anything about
me – Jerry West and Bill Russell.
Jerry was the Lakers’ GM, and Bill Russell the
coach and general manager of the Seattle SuperSonics.
At first it looked as if Jerry was going to draft
me, but it didn’t work out that way.
Jerry and Gary [Colson] have a great
relationship, one that goes back a number of years.
Jerry became aware of my abilities on the
recommendation of Colson.
When Bill drafted me, Jerry and the Lakers filed
a protest against the SuperSonics.
Eventually, the issue was cleared up and Los
Angeles backed out of the formal protest.
I was drafted in the second round by the Sonics
that year.
CELTIC-NATION
What was it like to meet the
great Bill Russell?
DENNIS
JOHNSON
Bill was the coach as well
as the general manager, so I was involved with him first
in contract negotiations and then on a day-to-day basis
as one of his players.
One thing that stands out in my mind was a
conversation that I had with Bill shortly after my
arrival in Seattle.
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