Vinnie Johnson

Vincent Johnson (born September 1, 1956), is an American retired professional basketball player and a key player as sixth man for the Detroit Pistons during the team's National Basketball Association (NBA) championships of 1989 and 1990. He was nicknamed "the Microwave" in the NBA.

"The Microwave" redirects here. For the microwave oven, see Microwave oven. For other uses, see Microwaves (disambiguation).
Vinnie Johnson
Personal information
Born (1956-09-01) September 1, 1956
Brooklyn, New York
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolFranklin D. Roosevelt
(Brooklyn, New York)
College
NBA draft1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career1979–1992
PositionShooting guard
Number15, 25
Career history
1979–1981Seattle SuperSonics
1981–1991Detroit Pistons
1991–1992San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points11,825 (12.0 ppg)
Assists3,212 (3.3 apg)
Rebound3,109 (3.2 rpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

College basketball career

Starting his career in 1975 at the juco McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, Johnson was a star there for two years, leading the team to the NJCAA national tournament in the 1976-77 season while averaging 29 points per game and being named a junior college All-American.[1]

Johnson transferred across town to attend Baylor University for the 1977–78 and 1978-79 seasons. One of the most prolific scorers in Baylor basketball history, Johnson averaged 24.1 points per game in his two seasons in Waco. A two-time All-American, Johnson is the school record-holder in points-per-game average, ranks 15th in career points, and third in career assists average at Baylor. He was named All-SWC in both 1978 and 1979. Johnson also holds the Baylor record for most points scored in a game with 50 against TCU in 1979.

Professional basketball career

Johnson was chosen as the No. 7 overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons in November 1981.[2]

At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Johnson's skill set allowed him to replace either point guard Isiah Thomas or shooting guard Joe Dumars from the bench. Johnson earned the nickname "the Microwave" from Boston Celtics guard Danny Ainge for his ability to score many points in a short period of time (i.e., Johnson could heat up the offense of the team in short order).[2][3]

On June 19, 1990, Johnson made a 14-foot shot with 0.7 seconds left on the clock, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 92–90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and giving Detroit a repeat championship. The basket earned Johnson a new nickname: 007.[2]

After leaving the Pistons following the 1990–91 season, Johnson would play one more season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 1992.

The Pistons honored Johnson's career by retiring his number 15 jersey in a ceremony on February 5, 1994, at The Palace of Auburn Hills.[2] Johnson was influenced by Earl Monroe growing up and only wore number 15 throughout his playing days. When asked about it by a fan later he said, "It was a huge honor. The fact that they retired my jersey tells me that I did some great things for the organization."

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Season Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% 2P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1979–80 Seattle 38 0 8.6 .391 .000 .395 .795 1.4 1.4 0.5 0.1 3.2
1980–81 Seattle 81 0 28.5 .534 .200 .536 .793 4.5 4.2 1.0 0.2 13.0
1981–82 Seattle 7 0 14.9 .409 .000 .429 .750 2.1 1.6 0.9 0.3 3.9
1981–82 Detroit 67 15 17.8 .493 .273 .499 .754 2.1 2.4 0.7 0.3 7.7
1982–83 Detroit 82 51 30.6 .513 .275 .523 .778 4.3 3.7 1.1 0.6 15.8
1983–84 Detroit 82 0 23.3 .473 .211 .478 .753 2.9 3.3 0.5 0.2 13.0
1984–85 Detroit 82 16 25.5 .454 .185 .462 .769 3.1 4.0 0.9 0.2 12.8
1985–86 Detroit 79 12 25.0 .467 .154 .471 .771 2.9 3.4 1.0 0.3 13.9
1986–87 Detroit 78 8 27.8 .462 .286 .464 .786 3.3 3.8 1.2 0.2 15.7
1987–88 Detroit 82 1 23.6 .443 .208 .449 .677 2.8 3.3 0.7 0.2 12.2
1988–89† Detroit 82 21 25.3 .464 .295 .472 .734 3.1 3.0 0.9 0.2 13.8
1989–90† Detroit 82 12 24.0 .431 .147 .444 .668 3.1 3.1 0.9 0.2 9.8
1990–91 Detroit 82 28 29.1 .434 .324 .438 .646 3.4 3.3 0.9 0.2 11.7
1991–92 San Antonio 60 23 22.5 .405 .317 .417 .647 3.0 2.4 0.7 0.2 8.0
Career 984 187 24.7 .464 .254 .471 .740 3.2 3.3 0.9 0.3 12.0

Playoffs
Season Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% 2P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1980 Seattle 5 0 2.4 .333 .000 .333 .000 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.4
1984 Detroit 5 0 26.4 .370 .000 .378 .895 2.8 2.4 0.2 0.2 10.2
1985 Detroit 9 0 26.1 .515 .000 .530 .786 3.0 3.2 0.7 0.1 14.2
1986 Detroit 4 0 21.3 .449 .000 .458 .538 4.3 2.8 0.8 0.0 12.8
1987 Detroit 15 0 25.9 .459 .000 .463 .861 2.9 4.1 0.6 0.3 14.7
1988 Detroit 23 0 20.7 .423 .143 .431 .660 3.3 1.9 0.7 0.2 10.3
1989† Detroit 17 0 21.9 .455 .417 .460 .758 2.6 2.5 0.2 0.2 14.1
1990† Detroit 20 0 23.2 .462 .286 .469 .791 2.8 2.7 0.4 0.2 10.3
1991 Detroit 15 3 29.2 .464 .154 .483 .710 5.1 2.9 0.7 0.3 15.2
1992 San Antonio 3 0 23.0 .458 .500 .450 .500 2.7 2.3 1.7 0.3 8.3
Career 116 3 23.0 .453 .274 .462 .754 3.1 2.6 0.6 0.2 12.0

Personal life

Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York,[1] attending Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School.

Following his career with the Detroit Pistons, Johnson established Piston Automotive in 1995. The company found success as a supplier for major international automotive companies, particularly Ford Motor Company and General Motors. Johnson serves as the Piston Group's chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the joint ventures JL Automotive LLC and PASA Modules, LLC.

In addition to his post career professional work, Johnson is a member of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council, and the Detroit Chamber of Commerce.

See also

References
  1. Staff report (January 30, 2015). "Vinnie Johnson, ex-MCC star, joins juco hoops hall". Waco Tribune-Herald. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  2. The Microwave
  3. "20 Questions with Vinnie Johnson". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
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