Neil Johnston

Neil Johnston

No. 6
Center
Personal information
Date of birth	February 4, 1929(1929-02-04)
Place of birth	Chillicothe, Ohio
Date of death	September 28, 1978(1978-09-28) (aged 49)
Place of death	Irving, Texas
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College	Ohio State
Pro career	1951–1959
Career history
As player: Philadelphia Warriors (1951–1959)
As coach: Philadelphia Warriors (1959–1961)
Career highlights and awards
NBA Champion (1956) 6× NBA All-Star (1953–1958) 4× All-NBA First Team (1953–1956) All-NBA Second Team (1957) 3× NBA Scoring Champion (1953–1955) Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (2009)
Career statistics
Points	10,023
Rebounds	5,856
Assists	1,269
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player

Donald Neil Johnston (February 4, 1929 – September 28, 1978) was an American Hall of Fame basketball player at the center position who played 8 years in the NBA from 1951 to 1959.

He led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons: 1952-53, 1953–54, and 1954-55. During the 1954-55 season, he also won the league's rebounding title. Johnston played his entire career with the Philadelphia Warriors, playing on their championship team in 1956. He played in six NBA All-Star Games, was an All-NBA First Team selection four times, and was an All-NBA Second Team selection once.

During his career, the 6 foot 8 inch Johnston was well known for his right-handed hook shot, which contributed to his leading the league in field goal shooting three times. Johnston was forced to retire after a serious knee injury in the 1958-59 season.

After his playing career, he coached the Warriors to a 95-59 winning record for the first two seasons of Wilt Chamberlain's NBA career.

He attended Ohio State University, where he starred in baseball and basketball. Johnston signed a professional baseball contract with the Philadelphia Phillies out of college and pitched two and a half years for the Terre Haute Phillies of the Three-I League. With a 3-9 record halfway through his third losing season in 1951, Johnston decided to give pro basketball a try. With his manager, Jim Ward's assistance, he tried out for the Warriors at the team camp in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

He was enshrined posthumously in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990, 31 years after his retirement.

See also

• List of individual National Basketball Association scoring leaders by season

External links

• Johnston's Basketball Hall of Fame page
• Neil Johnston on Find-A-Grave
• Neil Johnston statistics on Basketball-Reference (as a player)
• Neil Johnston statistics on Basketball-Reference (as a coach)
• Neil Johnston in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

Further reading

• Alex Sachare, 100 Greatest Basketball Players of all Time (1997) ISBN 0-671-01168-5

Persondata
Name	Johnston, Neil
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 4, 1929
Place of birth	Chillicothe, Ohio
Date of death	September 28, 1978
Place of death	Irving, Texas