Neil Johnston

Three-time NBA scoring champion of the early 1950s — dominated professional basketball before the Bill Russell era.

Neil Johnston was born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1929. Philadelphia Warriors signed him after he had initially pursued a professional baseball career as a pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organisation. His eight-season career with the Warriors produced 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game along with six All-Star appearances. He won three consecutive NBA scoring titles (1953, 1954, 1955) and averaged over 22 points per game in each of those seasons. He won the NBA championship with Philadelphia in 1956. He was named to the All-NBA First Team three times. His hook shot — executed with unusual finesse and accuracy — was considered the most effective individual scoring move of his era. He was one of the first big men to combine consistent scoring with elite rebounding in professional basketball. He served as head coach of the Warriors after his playing career, contributing further to the franchise. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. His career predated the arrival of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, the twin forces who transformed the center position, but within the context of his era he was the dominant big man in professional basketball across the early to mid-1950s.

Hook shot specialist with strong rebounding and interior scoring ability

One of the NBA's first dominant big men and key figure in Warriors' 1956 championship

• NBA Champion (1956)
• Scoring Champion 3x
• All-Star 6x
• All-NBA First Team 3x
• Hall of Fame (1990)