What a pairDennis Johnson, a brilliant defensive player who helped propel the Seattle SuperSonics and the Boston Celtics to N.B.A. championships, died yesterday in Austin, Tex. He was 52.
The cause was a heart attack, the National Basketball Association said.
Johnson, a five-time All-Star guard in the N.B.A., was in his second season as coach of the Austin Toros of the N.B.A. Development League. He collapsed outside the Austin Convention Center after a team practice and never regained consciousness, Perri Travillion, a spokeswoman for the Toros, a Celtic affiliate, told The Associated Press.
Playing 14 seasons in the N.B.A., with the Sonics, the Phoenix Suns and the Celtics, Johnson, known as D. J., was quick with his hands. He was named to nine consecutive N.B.A. All-Defensive teams.
He was the most valuable player of the 1979 N.B.A. finals, against Washington, when he helped take the Sonics to their only league championship. He played on Celtics teams that won titles in 1984 and 1986.
"Dennis was a great player, one of the best teammates I ever had, and a wonderful person. My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time." the Celtics’ Hall of Famer Larry Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers, told The A.P. yesterday.
