Eddie Johnson (basketball, born 1955)
Edward Lee "Fast Eddie" Johnson Jr. (born February 24, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) – mainly as a member of the Atlanta Hawks – from 1977 to 1987. He was a two-time NBA-All-Star with the Hawks in 1980 and 1981, and earned two nominations to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 1979 and 1980. He was known for his great speed and slashing ability, with a capable outside shot.
 Johnson as a member of the Hawks in 1981 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 24, 1955 Ocala, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lake Weir (Summerfield, Florida) |
| College | Auburn (1973–1977) |
| NBA draft | 1977 / Round: 3 / Pick: 49th overall |
| Selected by the Atlanta Hawks | |
| Playing career | 1977–1987 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 3, 15 |
| Career history | |
| 1977–1986 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 1986 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1986–1987 | Tampa Bay Thrillers |
| 1987 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 10,163 (15.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 1,522 (2.3 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,436 (5.1 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Johnson's career was cut short when he received a lifetime suspension by the NBA due to a cocaine addiction in 1987. His life after basketball delved further into criminal activities and culminated in Johnson being sentenced to life in prison for sex crimes on a minor in 2008.
Early life and college career
Johnson was raised in Weirsdale, Florida, as the oldest of five children. His father worked as a laborer. Johnson played basketball with a homemade goal outside his family's house. He was one of the first black students to attend a previously all-white grade school in Weirsdale.[1] He attended Lake Weir High School and started all four years he played.[2] Johnson graduated from Lake Weir as one of the top students in his class.[1]
Johnson played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers from 1973 to 1977. He led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in scoring as a freshman with 21.8 points per game.[1] Johnson led the Tigers in scoring and assists for his first three seasons, and was nominated to the All-SEC Coaches' first-team from 1974 to 1976.[3]
Professional career
Johnson was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 49th overall pick of the 1977 NBA draft. Johnson spent his first season sharing time in the backcourt with 5-foot-8 Charlie Criss. Averaging 10.5 points, the rookie helped the Hawks return to the playoffs after a four-year absence, a feat repeated in six of Johnson's eight full years with the club.
With Criss injured the following year, Johnson became a starter in 1978–79. During that season, Johnson advanced as far as he ever would in pursuit of an NBA championship, losing in the conference semifinals to the Washington Bullets. He was a starter four consecutive seasons, averaging at least 16 points each season. In only his third year in the league, fans voted Johnson into a starting spot in the NBA All-Star Game. He scored 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the 1980 midseason classic and 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting as a starter one year later. During that latter regular season, Johnson ranked second on the Hawks in scoring, with a career-high 19.1 points per game.
Injuries and drug problems had begun to slow Johnson by 1982; he played in no more than 73 games per year from that point on. Still, he managed to score 16 or more points per game in two of his final three seasons playing with the Hawks. With Johnson, Glenn "Doc" Rivers, Johnny Davis, Rory Sparrow and Anthony "Spud" Webb, Atlanta boasted arguably some of the best backcourt talent in the league.
Although one of the more popular Hawks during his tenure, Johnson was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers midway through the 1985–86 season. He would finish his career with the Seattle SuperSonics a year later.
Johnson battled a cocaine addiction for many years. After several suspensions, he finally checked himself into rehab in 1986. After he failed to follow through on mandatory counseling, the NBA banned him for life in 1987.
In 675 NBA games, Johnson scored 10,163 points, with a career average of 15.1 points per game, reaching double figures in scoring in 9 of his 10 years in the NBA.
Personal life
Johnson's younger brother, Frank, is a former player and coach in the NBA. He is a distant cousin of fellow basketball player Tree Rollins, who was his teammate on the Hawks.[1]
Johnson has three children.[2]
Off-court issues and imprisonment
Johnson first began using cocaine as a college student. He passed out during a celebratory function at Auburn in 1979 in what was the first public indication of his drug habits. Johnson denied that his drug habits led to his personal issues and stated: "The whole idea of me abusing drugs is outlandish."[1]
During the 1980 NBA off-season, Johnson escaped unharmed after he jumped off a second-story apartment balcony and fled across a parking lot while two men fired gunshots at him in what police believed was part of a drug dispute. Three weeks later, he was arrested for possession of cocaine while driving a rental car in Atlanta but the charges were dropped because the police's search of the car was deemed illegal. Johnson was taken to a private psychiatric facility in Cobb County, Georgia, and underwent therapy for almost a week. The day after Johnson checked himself out of the facility, he was arrested for stealing a car from a car dealer but the charges were again dropped.[1]
Johnson was diagnosed with manic depression by psychiatrists in the Cobb County facility. He was prescribed with lithium tablets that he stopped taking during the 1980–81 NBA season without the knowledge of the Hawks team. Johnson believed that he no longer needed the medication and it attributed to his tiredness during games. The Hawks became aware of the resumption of Johnson's erratic behavior in July 1981 and persuaded him to submit to a local hospital. Johnson showed up at the Hawks' training camp in October directly from the hospital and became increasingly disruptive as he rebuked teammates, left the floor to play with a child in the stands, and jumped rope on the sidelines while oblivious to his surroundings during practice sessions. After being so alarmed by his actions, Atlanta Hawks President Michael Gearon and General Manager Stan Kasten contacted Johnson's psychiatrist, who signed a commitment order to have Johnson placed in Grady Memorial Hospital. Johnson was picked up by police before a planned practice session and taken to Grady. Johnson was taken off the Hawks' suspended list on November 21, 1981.[1]
Johnson's life continued to spiral out of control following his banishment from the NBA. He was arrested and convicted for a litany of crimes over the years, including burglary, robbery, assault on a police officer, and shoplifting. He admitted that he had frequent drug problems which had initially cost him his career.[4]
Johnson's rap sheet numbered about 100 arrests and five stints in and out of the Florida prison system when in 2006, he was arrested for burglary and sexual battery and molestation of an 8-year-old girl, while awaiting trial on charges of raping another woman. The arrest created additional controversy when multiple publications used the picture of another NBA player named Eddie Johnson, who believed his reputation had been damaged due to the incident.[5]
On October 30, 2008, Johnson was convicted of sexual battery of a minor under 12, lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12, and trespassing for the sexual assault of an 8-year-old girl in her home at Parkside Garden Apartments in Ocala, Florida.[6] Johnson denied doing anything appropriate.[2] The sex crimes carried a mandatory life sentence without parole. Johnson is currently incarcerated at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution.[7]
References
- Newman, Bruce (December 7, 1981). "Blinded by the Light". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- "'Fast Eddie' — The rise and fall of an NBA star". Deseret News. November 19, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- "2019–2020 Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Auburn University. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- "Anatomy of a breakdown: The rise and fall of former NBA star Eddie Johnson". Usatoday.com. November 18, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- "Worst Day Of Ex-NBA Star's Life". CBS News. August 11, 2006. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- Lee, Suevon (October 30, 2008). "'Fast Eddie' Johnson guilty of sex assault on 8-year-old". Ocala StarBanner. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- Lee, Suevon (October 30, 2008). "'Fast Eddie' Johnson guilty of sex assault on 8-year-old". Ocala.com. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
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