Gus Johnson

Gus Johnson Jr. (December 13, 1938 – April 29, 1987) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. Standing 6 feet 6 inches and weighing 235 pounds, he typically played forward and occasionally center. Nicknamed "Honeycomb," Johnson spent nine seasons with the Baltimore Bullets before splitting his final campaign between the Phoenix Suns and the Indiana Pacers.

A native of Akron, Johnson won a city championship for Central-Hower High School and was at one point called the best player to come out of the city. Not intending to attend college, he played in the Amateur Athletic Union and industrial leagues before being recruited to Boise Junior College in 1961 at the age of 23. He transferred to the University of Idaho in 1962, where he averaged 19 points and 20 rebounds per game in his only season there.

Johnson was selected in the second round, the 11th overall pick, in the 1963 NBA draft by the Chicago Zephyrs, who relocated to become the Baltimore Bullets prior to the start of the 1963–64 season. In his first season he averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds.