One of the games first star big men, Neil Johnston has been almost totally forgotten by the modern NBA. He had a short career but in his career he made a huge impact but was never had the name that contemporary’s like George Mikan had. Johnston played both baseball and basketball at Ohio State University and it was baseball that he excelled at. His basketball numbers where abysmal. His freshman season he played in only 7 games averaging less than 2 points a game. His sophomore season he played in 20 averaging only 9 points. He quit playing competitive basketball after his sophomore year and focused on baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Johnston and he ended up in their minor league system as a pitcher. He had limited success as a pitcher and after his third straight losing season he decided to try out for the Warriors camp. He made the Warriors roster and found success he never had as a baseball player.

Johnston would lead the NBA in scoring three straight seasons from 1953 until 1955 and would average over 20 points a game from 1953 until 1958. He helped guide the Warriors to the 1956 NBA championship as we..

A major knee injury abruptly ended Johnston’s career. He tried to play though it but he lost all mobility required to play in the NBA and was forced to retire in 1959 after just 8 seasons in the NBA. Johnston played in 516 career games and averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds as well as being a 6 time NBA all-star. Despite all his success he was not elected to the hall-of-fame until 1990.

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