Avery Johnson

Avery Johnson arrived at Southern University eager to prove he belonged as a Division I athlete. After news of Johnson humbling members of the varsity squad in an on-campus pickup game reached head coach Ben Jobe, the St. Augustine High School product earned a spot on the team and instantly transformed Southern Jaguar basketball games into a cultural phenomenon. In his senior season in 1988, Johnson led NCAA Division I with 13.3 assists per game, an all-time record. Johnson, who played for six teams during a 16-year NBA career, is most remembered for sinking the game-winning shot in Game 5 of the 1999 NBA finals against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana · United States