SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Perry Johnson said he was going to trust in the Lord for the right words to accept his late brother Gus Johnson's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. So it was no surprise his speech sounded a bit like a prayer Friday night at Symphony Hall. "Good evening," Perry Johnson told the crowd....
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Perry Johnson said he was going to trust in the Lord for the right words to accept his late brother Gus Johnson's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. So it was no surprise his speech sounded a bit like a prayer Friday night at Symphony Hall.
"Good evening," Perry Johnson told the crowd. "First I'd like to give honor to God.
"I'm so excited to be here and honored to speak for my brother. I'd love for him to be here, but he knew he was coming. I'd like to just thank all his coaches, from the church leagues to parks all the way through to the NBA. My brother was a very special man. He never picked up a weight. He looked like a Greek god. He just commanded a presence. He was just awesome. I want to thank you guys, the NBA, the Naismith Hall of Fame and everybody here. Thank you so much."
Gus Johnson, a five-time NBA All-Star from Akron Central-Hower High School, passed away April 29, 1987, at age 48 with an inoperable brain tumor.
View full sizeAkron native Gus Johnson was inducted into the the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.
Joining him in the 2010 induction class were former Chicago Bulls forward-guard Scottie Pippen; former Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone, who choked up while mentioning that it was the seventh anniversary of his mother's death; former Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics guard Dennis Johnson; former Brazilian star Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira; former WNBA guard Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets; Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss; St. Anthony's (N.J.) High School boys basketball coach Bob Hurley Sr.; and the 1960 and 1992 U.S. Olympic men's basketball teams.
Ohio State star Jerry Lucas and former University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Royals star Oscar Robertson were part of the 1960 team. Former Cavs player and coach Lenny Wilkens was an assistant on the 1992 team.
Dennis Johnson and Pereira also were inducted posthumously.
Perry Johnson has enjoyed mingling with the stars this week. On his way to the stage Friday night, he shook hands with Pippen and Michael Jordan and was welcomed on stage with hugs from Hall of Famers Wes Unseld and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, who played with Gus Johnson with the Baltimore Bullets.
Mostly, he enjoyed telling and hearing stories about his brother. Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan told him his brother protected him when he was a Bullets rookie and got into a fight with the Lakers' LeRoy Ellis. Miami Heat President Pat Riley told him his brother once broke his nose.
"Young people today don't know these guys could play ball," Perry Johnson said of his brother and the players of his era. "He was the first high flier. He was there before air was there. He could fly. He'd come down and throw that ball down with anybody.
"He was still playing at 48. He played every day. He loved the game like no other."
But that's only part of Gus Johnson's legacy.
"He made me who I am today," said Perry Johnson, who is almost eight years younger than his brother. "He taught me how to deal with people. He dealt with the president to Joe the Wino. He talked to everybody. He loved people, and people loved him. They reciprocated."
Then Perry Johnson closed his speech with another prayer.
"Thank you so very much," he said, "and God bless."
Asked on Thursday night what he thought his brother would say about the proceedings, Perry Johnson grinned and said, "He has the best seat in the house."