Legends of Basketball Official Website

 

I started playing basketball when I was 8 years old.  My father bought me my first basketball and I 

Johnny Dawkins Associate Head Coach Duke Univ. Men's Basketball  Photo: Duke Sports Information

would take it everywhere I went.  I used to follow him around and do whatever he did. At a young age, I always wanted to play with the big boys, and that’s how I got started. I ended up going to a Catholic elementary school in Washington DC, which eventually led to me playing for the Catholic Youth Organization. To be honest, I was probably one of the worst players on my team at the time, but my love for the game kept developing…the rest is history.

 

I was playing a home game at Cameron against our arch rivals, University of North Carolina. I stole the ball and got out on the fast break. When I saw I had one man to beat, I proceeded to give an in-and-out move to create space. I glanced over, and I could see none other than Michael Jordan with the corner of my eye running me down. I rolled it high over the top square of the backboard, and he still went up and got it.  MJ was so high that when he soared in the air, he spun the ball against the backboard and banged his head on the glass. I’m looking at the ref, and after a brief pause, next thing I heard was, ‘Basket is good, goal tending on Jordan!’ At the end of the game in the locker room, the guys were talking about the play. I said yeah, you see Jordan get up, nice attempt, but we all know it was goal tending. My teammates collectively were like, nah, he got your lay up clean…as they busted out laughing. Thanks for the support, guys.

 

After retiring from the NBA, I took a year and half off and spent some much-needed quality time 

Associate Head Coach, Johhny Dawkins gives instructions to his players on the bench Photo: Duke Sports Information

with my family. After that year and a half off, my passion was to stay in the realm of athletics, but ultimately I knew I wanted to give back to the game of basketball. I came back to Duke and met with the coach and athletic director, and they provided me with great direction. I started out in radio for the team, interned with the athletic department, which eventually allowed me to transition into coaching. One of Coach K’s assistants, Tommy Amaker, left Duke to coach Seton Hall’s program in 1997. The vacant position on Duke’s bench was offered to me by Coach K. Ten years later, here I am. My official title is Associate Head Coach, and I love every minute of it. This past summer I was in Las Vegas working with the USA Men’s Basketball Team for the FIBA Americas tournament. We have a talented collection of players on this team, and they will be ready for the 2008 Olympics next summer in China.

 

I’m a member because I believe it’s important to give back. It puts us in a key position of leadership with the experience and notoriety from our playing days. It’s something we can pass on to younger players. I encourage anyone who’s not active to join today!

Full Name:  Johnny Earl Dawkins Jr.

Date & Place of Birth: September 28, 1963 / Washington, D.C.

Most influential person:  My father: I wouldn’t be where I am today if he didn’t lay the 

Johnny Dawkins NBAE/Getty Images

foundation for my achievements.

Greatest Competitor:  Michael Jordan: He had an insatiable appetite to win, and I haven’t seen anyone with his talent have that drive.

Player(s) you did not look forward to matching up against:  Magic Johnson because he was 6’9” and I was 6’1”…Isiah Thomas was the first person to ever score 30 points on me.

Legends you admired growing up:  Dr. J, George Gervin, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe and Oscar Robertson.

Superstars of today worth the price of admission to see in person:  LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo, Kidd, Nash and KG.

Current superstar you would have loved to match-up against in your prime: Tony Parker because he would be a good test for my speed and quickness. I would also add Steve Nash because he was the back-to-back MVP of the league in 2005 & 2006.

Favorite vacation spots:  It’s a toss up between Turks and Caicos and Maui.

Favorite athlete outside of basketball:  Muhammad Ali

If you did not play basketball, you would have: Been a lawyer or in business of some sort.