Gus Johnson

Gus "Honeycomb" Johnson's style of play - a unique blend of grace, speed, strength, and creativity rarely seen during his era - became the model for future athletic power forwards. He scored, played defense, and leaped so high in traffic that other players claimed to hear him jump. Johnson was one of the first players to fly above the rim on both offense and defense making an immediate impact on the NBA after being drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in 1963. Johnson averaged a double-double in points and rebounds (17.1ppg; 12.7rpg) for all ten of his NBA seasons, scoring 1,000 points and grabbing 1,000 rebounds in the same season three times. He was a five-time NBA All Star and made the All-NBA Second Team four times in his career (1965, 1966, 1970, 1971). A key component of the Baltimore Bullets of the mid-1960s and early 1970s, he led the Bullets to five playoff appearances in nine seasons including the 1971 NBA Finals and finally won a championship in 1973 with the ABA Indiana Pacers.