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12-24-2007, 04:34 AM
AJ in Spurs' spotlight one more time
Web Posted: 12/23/2007 12:28 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News
For one more night, Avery Johnson was a San Antonio Spur, and it felt good.
The undersized, overachieving point guard whose jump shot from the left corner at Madison Square Garden secured the Spurs' first NBA title in 1999, had his No. 6 retired Saturday night by the team for which he played nine seasons, from 1991-2001.
The message of the ceremony was clear: Johnson always will be part of the Spurs' family.
"You've got to say, 'Go Spurs, Go,'" Spurs majority owner Peter Holt told Johnson as he gave him a pregame hug at the AT&T Center, where Johnson's No. 6 was raised to the rafters after the Spurs' 99-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Johnson now is the head coach of the Spurs' rival, the Dallas Mavericks, but he beamed the smile that has always been his signature and joined Holt in the cheer the Mavericks hate to hear when they play in San Antonio.
On this night, not even Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could have objected.
Johnson's No. 6 joined the numbers of James Silas (13), George Gervin (44), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and Sean Elliott (32) in the AT&T Center rafters.
"It's hard to explain to people what it means to be a Spur," Johnson told the sellout crowd which stayed long after the game to honor Johnson, No. 1 on the Spurs' all-time assists list.
It was Johnson's way of attempting to explain the unexplainable to a community that had embraced him throughout the nine seasons he played for the Spurs. He made it clear that a big part of his heart remains in the Alamo City, no matter where his NBA obligations and loyalties now are situated.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who brought Johnson back to San Antonio for his first long-term contract in 1994 and relied on his leadership when he took over as head coach in 1996, made it just as clear in his remarks.
"More than anything," Popovich told the crowd, "no matter what happens in his future, no matter where he is, he is always a San Antonio Spur."
Johnson had fretted before the game that his emotions might get the better of him, and he was right.
"My man already has tears in his eyes," said Elliott, the evening's master of ceremonies, and this was before any of the evening's speakers had paid tribute to the player called "The Little General."
Popovich tried to inject a bit of levity, calling Johnson "the only player in NBA history that went left every time, and nobody ever figured it out."
By the time Popovich had finished his brief speech and shared a hug with Johnson, however, both strong men were fighting back tears.
"There are a lot of players who do well and have more stats than Avery, and they don't get their jerseys retired," Popovich said before Saturday's game. "He was special on and off the court.
"He's a son of San Antonio. I don't care how successful he is in Dallas, he's always going to be a San Antonio Spur in our mind. That's because of what he did in the community."
Johnson said Saturday's number retirement finally put a cap on his 16-year NBA career.
"I thought a championship would do it," he said, "but that didn't do it. This finally puts an end to what I now realize was an incredible 16 years."
Johnson, who was cut by the SuperSonics, Nuggets and, yes, the Spurs before finally securing a long-term deal to play in San Antonio, called the number retirement a humbling experience, especially considering the disappointment of getting cut by the Spurs.
"We didn't think any of this was going to happen," Johnson said.
"At the time, I was just trying to feed my family and keep my NBA career alive. I didn't even think I was going to have an opportunity to come back here and play for the Spurs again. I thought that was the end of my time here.
"When I retired, I didn't retire playing for the Spurs as my last team. And then to go and coach another team, you didn't know it was going to happen. But this night is not representing who I work for now but who I was for the nine years when I was in uniform here."
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LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122307.10C.BKNspurs.johnson.2f27ee7.html
Web Posted: 12/23/2007 12:28 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News
For one more night, Avery Johnson was a San Antonio Spur, and it felt good.
The undersized, overachieving point guard whose jump shot from the left corner at Madison Square Garden secured the Spurs' first NBA title in 1999, had his No. 6 retired Saturday night by the team for which he played nine seasons, from 1991-2001.
The message of the ceremony was clear: Johnson always will be part of the Spurs' family.
"You've got to say, 'Go Spurs, Go,'" Spurs majority owner Peter Holt told Johnson as he gave him a pregame hug at the AT&T Center, where Johnson's No. 6 was raised to the rafters after the Spurs' 99-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Johnson now is the head coach of the Spurs' rival, the Dallas Mavericks, but he beamed the smile that has always been his signature and joined Holt in the cheer the Mavericks hate to hear when they play in San Antonio.
On this night, not even Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could have objected.
Johnson's No. 6 joined the numbers of James Silas (13), George Gervin (44), Johnny Moore (00), David Robinson (50) and Sean Elliott (32) in the AT&T Center rafters.
"It's hard to explain to people what it means to be a Spur," Johnson told the sellout crowd which stayed long after the game to honor Johnson, No. 1 on the Spurs' all-time assists list.
It was Johnson's way of attempting to explain the unexplainable to a community that had embraced him throughout the nine seasons he played for the Spurs. He made it clear that a big part of his heart remains in the Alamo City, no matter where his NBA obligations and loyalties now are situated.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who brought Johnson back to San Antonio for his first long-term contract in 1994 and relied on his leadership when he took over as head coach in 1996, made it just as clear in his remarks.
"More than anything," Popovich told the crowd, "no matter what happens in his future, no matter where he is, he is always a San Antonio Spur."
Johnson had fretted before the game that his emotions might get the better of him, and he was right.
"My man already has tears in his eyes," said Elliott, the evening's master of ceremonies, and this was before any of the evening's speakers had paid tribute to the player called "The Little General."
Popovich tried to inject a bit of levity, calling Johnson "the only player in NBA history that went left every time, and nobody ever figured it out."
By the time Popovich had finished his brief speech and shared a hug with Johnson, however, both strong men were fighting back tears.
"There are a lot of players who do well and have more stats than Avery, and they don't get their jerseys retired," Popovich said before Saturday's game. "He was special on and off the court.
"He's a son of San Antonio. I don't care how successful he is in Dallas, he's always going to be a San Antonio Spur in our mind. That's because of what he did in the community."
Johnson said Saturday's number retirement finally put a cap on his 16-year NBA career.
"I thought a championship would do it," he said, "but that didn't do it. This finally puts an end to what I now realize was an incredible 16 years."
Johnson, who was cut by the SuperSonics, Nuggets and, yes, the Spurs before finally securing a long-term deal to play in San Antonio, called the number retirement a humbling experience, especially considering the disappointment of getting cut by the Spurs.
"We didn't think any of this was going to happen," Johnson said.
"At the time, I was just trying to feed my family and keep my NBA career alive. I didn't even think I was going to have an opportunity to come back here and play for the Spurs again. I thought that was the end of my time here.
"When I retired, I didn't retire playing for the Spurs as my last team. And then to go and coach another team, you didn't know it was going to happen. But this night is not representing who I work for now but who I was for the nine years when I was in uniform here."
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122307.10C.BKNspurs.johnson.2f27ee7.html