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The San Antonio Spurs have decided to honor Avery Johnson’s contributions to their team by retiring his jersey number.

The Numbers Lie

For his career, Avery Johnson has averages of 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists a game.

He also averaged 25.3 minutes a game, which is a lot less than the typical NBA starter plays.

Of all the numbers, though, the most interesting one is 6. That’s how many teams Avery Johnson has played for. In his NBA career, Avery Johnson has made several stops (sometimes more than once) in Seattle, Denver, San Antonio, Dallas, Golden State, and Houston. In fact, Avery Johnson could possibly be the only NBA player to have ever played for all three Texas teams.

Avery Johnson’s best season was in 1995 with the San Antonio Spurs. He average 13.1 points and 9.6 assists a game. Those are pretty impressive numbers, but when compared to the Hall of Fame players, they don’t particularly stand out. Actually, that’s the best way to describe Avery Johnson’s career. He’s solid, but he doesn’t stand out.

San Antonio Spurs White Tonal Flex Hat

Well Deserved When the 5′11″ guard out of Southern University entered the NBA, many were simply predicting that Avery Johnson would become a journey backup guard. Critics thought he’d be lucky to stay on a team for more than a season. During the early parts of his career, it appeared like that the path that Avery Johnson was heading. He went from team to team without much stability. That is, until he joined the San Antonio Spurs. Well, this 3rd stint with the team was where he finally found a home. During his 3rd stint with the San Antonio Spurs, Avery Johnson’s natural born leadership skills took over and he became an extension of head coach Gregg Popovich. He formed a bond with David Robinson (and later Tim Duncan) both on the court and off the court.

Ceremony

Former San Antonio Spurs forward Sean Elliott and center David Robinson were both on hand to give speeches at the ceremony. Both players played with Avery Johnson, and they all still remain close friends.

Avery Johnson joins his two friends (along with James Silas, Johnny Moore, and George Gervin) as the only players to have had their jerseys retired by the San Antonio Spurs.

Texas governor Rick Perry was also on hand to give a speech.

Closing Thoughts

Sports fans who put too much of an emphasis on stats might not understand it, but we absolutely believe that Avery Johnson deserves this honor.