Dennis Johnson Passes Away

rip dj..you’ll be miss by us celtic fans// :(

  Sigh, one of my favorite players. RIP DJ.

Bird said DJ was the best player he ever played with.

argh this site crashes everytime a big story hits

I watched him play and win and he was part of the glory days, now a distance past. It just makes things worse being a Celts fan. He will be missed. A great player and human being

RIP DJ .

what a horrible year.

Man, a great life cut too short. I loved watching you compete and win growing up. This is another tragic blow for the legacy of the franchise this year.

RIP DJ.

what a bummer of a season.

We’ll miss you, DJ.

Dear DJ’s Family,

Our deepest sympathy goes out to your family. DJ will be missed.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=43DrapEn5QA

Truly one of the greats.

http://www.boston.tv/beta2/btv.html?id=133958527

RIP DJ. Here’s a little something to keep you smiling up in heaven.

I am have just been Schock Speechless. I was a DJ fan while he was with the sonics and was really excited when he came to the celtic from Phoniex. WE all will miss you DJ May GOd Keep you in his care.

Sad, man.

Died after doing what he loved — playing basketball, a pick-up game with his team, evidently.

Now watch:
the Basketball Hall of Fame will enshrine him next year — posthumously. What a bunch….

Wow, i don’t remember being this saddened by the death of a sports figure before. RIP, DJ

-charlie

RIP D.J. – God Bless

RIP DJ..It’s a shame you never got more respect around the league. You would have made a great NBA coach with more of an opportunity and you belong in the Hall of Fame.

Peace to D.J.

That man was one of a kind.

One of the good ones. So sad to see him go so young.

RIPDJ

Wow… What’s happening to our beloved Celtics.

I’ve stayed away because I couldn’t take much more of this and here we are again.

D.J. use to live in my town and met him many times, he was great with the kids and always offer much insights about the game.

I’m very sadden by his passing.

I’m hoping some good news will eventually come our way again!

So very sad. Thanks for the great memories Dennis. RIP…..

this is bad

what a miserable year.

Celtics Nation will miss you dearly DJ. Thanks for the memories.

Indeed a sad day. A great player (should be in the hall of fame), and a first class Celtic. Good bye D.J. Say hi to Red for all of us.

God bless you, Dennis, and may you rest in peace. Thank you for all of the great memories and I will say a prayer for your loved ones.

Shocking… totally shocking. I saw this on the news and came right to the website. Not much information yet about what happened.

We’ll miss you D.J… strikes a chord with me because my dad was nearly the same age (53) when he died… life is too short.

Hey!, talk about ping pong balls…Life can truly be the most savage game…God Bless ya’, DJ, and bye-bye…

I loved how he would dribble once per year in the league prior to shooting a free throw. At the end of his career the officials started looking the other way on the 10 second rule. It got pretty funny.

Sympathies and best wishes to his family. I will miss him.

Very sad day. DJ was a class act and ultimate NICE guy from what i heard. Also a great player who was very humble.

It’s sad he never got his chance to coach the c’s.

Probably deserved the job too

Another reason to keep being proud. #3

Keep the head up guys, bring the 17th.

Didn’t Maravich died in a pick-up game too? … RIP DJ… :(

RIP DJ, and thanks for the memories.

And see what you can do about those ping pong balls while you’re up there. ;)

A sad day indeed, 52 is way too young for anyone. I feel for his family who must be in a state of utter shock.

As a fan of him as a player I will only say that he leaves behind a legacy of the ultimate clutch performer. Finals MVP, three time champion, and a man who was more concerned with winning than stats. He was also a co-contributor to what I believe to be the greatest play in nba history. The steal by bird against detroit – DJ had the great intellect to cut to the basket and also the talent to make a difficult, challenged finish to win that game.

RIP # 3 – a great Celtic and, by all accounts, a great man.

DJ, Thanks for the memories, I raise my glass to you! My prayers and thoughts to you and your family. Peace

Well, I was saving this commentary for an article I was writing, but it’s too late now. One of the issues I was going to bring up was that we haven’t quite hit rock bottom yet. I was waiting for the shoe to fall on another member of the Celtic family to pass before I proclaimed that I felt we were ready to re-ascend.

I wasn’t expecting it to be DJ though. This truly sucks. DJ was one of my favorite players and a great example of what a truly great teammate is supposed to emcompass. Hard nose defense, great court sense and unselfish with the ball.

My best wishes go out to his immediate family and his extended Celtics family. He was a great player and a testament to what being a Celtic is all about. He will be sorely missed.

Rest in peace DJ.

I am truly and profoundly saddened. DJ was so integral a part of tthose teams that I grew up on, that has made me the fan that I will always remain. Bless you DJ, find peace. You will be missed.

I am shocked. This is so upsetting why do we have to lose members of Celtics nation in such tragic ways. I can’t take much more. R.I.P DJ

Pulled up the site to see if I missed some “big trade” and ran into a steam roller going the other way. Dj was a class act and one of my favorite all time Celtics. Like a few have already said, I had my hopes that perhaps he’d come back to the Cs as a coach. R.I.P, DJ, you are sorely missed.

We are destine to win the Lottery Pick this year!!! We should not send anyone to the Lottery draft just have RED AND DJ do the magic for us. RIP DJ

one of my all time favorite…..RIP :’(

Thanks for the memories DJ. You were one of the greats. Rest in peace.

“To An Athlete Dying Young”
 
“THE time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.
  
To-day, the road all runners come, 5
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.
  
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay, 10
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.
  
Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers 15
After earth has stopped the ears:
  
Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man. 20
  
So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.
  
And round that early-laurelled head 25
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl’s.”

You can find the YouTube of the Bird steal to DJ complete with Johhny Most play-by on page 1 at www.aolsportsblog.com

I challenge any Celt fan to watch that without choking up. A happy/sad memory in this, the worst year in Celtics history.

DJ was a great player and by all accounts a great gentleman. RIP up there with Red.

It’s not the time now, but I hope that the league recognizes Dennis Johnson’s achievements and elects him to the HOF.

DJ’s untimely death sure puts things into perspective. An 18 game losing streak ? Who cares ! I have had such a sense of sadness since hearing the news, I even cried . My heart goes out to DJ’s family . They should take heart in knowing that he left a lasting legacy in his 52 years and will always be remembered in a positive light.

We’ll miss you DJ !

this sucks

The man should have been put into the Hall of Fame in his own lifetime. Now they will probably relent and do what they should have done long ago. That is what really bothers me. He was a winner, through and through and deserved to be in there.

It is sad that he died so young, but such is life. He lived a good life and touched the lives of others, which is all that anyone can hope to do. I will remember him fondly.

Life-long Celtics fan in VA. DJ was a huge reason for that. Favorite player growing up and it wasn’t even close.

My deepest sympathies to friends and family. A life lost way too soon.

This is a very sad year for Celtics fans. I hope Red and DJ know how special they were to so many people. This should serve as a reminder to all fans just how much we should appreciate people like this while we have them here.

DJ was way under appreciated in this league. He was an amazing talent and one of the hardest working guys in the NBA (pre and post career).

I know it sounds silly, but this really has me upset.

-MattB

RIP DJ… Sad news… Hopefully DJ and Red can fix the lottery.

It’s a shame that he never got to coach the C’s. He would’ve been great.
Goodbye, DJ. We’ll miss you.

classic DJ on NBA TV all night long…

Too early…too soon

With DJ running point, Reggie and Len are going to be getting a lot more easy baskets up there now…

RIP DJ….Springfield will call you soon

woke up to this, what else will happen to us this year. He should have been coaching the Celtics and not the development team. I can’t bear to watch the old film clips.

IT is a gloomy day, DJ was loved by so many , always was positive and kind to all. He was a great player who led a dynasty alongside Larry.
My prayers and thoughts go out to his entire family from immediate,toros,personal and celtic family. we will miss you DJ.
R.I.P.

Tragic. RIP DJ.

every young player in the game should be required to watch footage of how this guy played the game. a class act, a gentleman and a helluva player whose insight wouldve really been welcome on this team. we’re all down here missing you already DJ! thanks for everything…

I can’t believe all this happening. It stinks, it sucks, and its sad. RIP DJ