DJ Finally Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame

[RAcker]

i love Dennis Johnson.

i remember going down to the Omni in atlanta to watch the Celts in the 80's. after yet another dismantling of the Hawks by those Celtics, DJ came out of the locker room and started down another tunnel evidently that exited to the team bus .......... some atlanta fan yelled something about the hawks getting the Celtics next time they came to town and DJ laughed as he walked away, shaking his head, "Never gonna happen." he wasn't really bragging or being a jerk, not at all. he just knew how good he was and how good his team was. i loved it.

in this day of sports when style & persona usually gets much more attention than real substance, Dennis Johnson was the ultimate player of substance who didn't care what others thought, besides his teammates and family.


most of all DJ loved being a Celtic. so glad he got to see his number go to the rafters before he left us. i hope Larry, KC and the rest show up for his HOF induction.

God Speed DJ.

I also watched DJ a few times at the Omni in Atlanta.  Wonder if we attended the same games.  I got to put my arm around DJ when I was 12 or so right next to the team buses in Atlanta and it ranks up there with:

Rebounding a ball for McHale
Getting an autograph from Parish
Talking with Danny
Shaking Larry's hand leaving the Omni
Tommy giving me a very depressed autograph after a C's loss

DJ was very special and I still remember how funny he seemed off the court and how hard-nosed he was on the court.  Although he supposedly "couldn't shoot" I always felt comfortable with him in during crunch time.

Remember, that Bird steal against the Pistons in '87 would have been for naught had DJ not made that very difficult right handed layup on the left side of the basket. Classic.

Congrats, DJ.

[MattG12]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-42c470-MjM&feature=related

Awesome.

EDIT: Larry should have thrown it down. lol

[RAcker]

[Jon]

Larry claimed that DJ was the greatest player he ever played with (I'm assuming he wasn't counting the Dream Team and All Star games).  Not sure I'd got that far myself given that Larry played with McHale and Parish, but who am I to argue with Larry Legend (Though I suppose one could argue that Larry's eye for talent isn't as impeccable as his game given the current state of the Pacers). 

[Roy Hobbs]

It's a heck of a class this year.  Malone, Pippen, DJ, Gus Johnson, Bob Hurley, Sr., Cynthia Cooper, the 1960 and 1992 (Dream) teams, etc.  The only guy who doesn't really belong, in my opinion, is Jerry Buss.