Gus Johnson gets inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight

by Mike Prada on Aug 13, 2010 3:28 PM EDT in Game Threads

I'm not old enough to fully appreciate the greatness of Gus Johnson, so I won't fake it. Everything I've read indicates tonight's Hall of Fame induction is long overdue for him, and I just wish he was alive to see it. If you were fortunate enough to watch him play, I would love to hear your thoughts on just what made him so great.

Johnson will be inducted to Springfield tonight on NBATV. The ceremony will begin at 7, with coverage beginning at 6. This is your open thread to discuss the festivities. Until then, here are three things to read:

LoneWiz54's profile of Gus Johnson as part of our "Top 20 Bullets/Wizards of All Time" countdown a couple years back.
Fran Blinebury's great article on Honeycomb from last week.
Bethlehem Shoals' ode to Gus in today's "The Works" column on Fanhouse (scroll down past the Danny Granger part)

Congrats to Honeycomb!

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Thanks from an old-timer, Mike...

I guess in today’s game Gus would be a 3/4 tweener but above all he was a showman who gave fans a good time playing the game he loved. He and equally skilled and flambouyant contemporaries like Connie Hawkins and George McGinnis were good-sized players who could handle the ball as well as shoot and rebound. The only player in today’s game who matches Gus’s skillset is of course LeBron, and Gus had a much better sense of joy in what he did.

It is so sad that he (and Dennis Johnson) passed away far too soon to see their skill and love of the game justly rewarded at last.

by khrabb on Aug 14, 2010 10:20 AM EDT reply actions