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Player profile · BAL / PHO
Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson stats, teams and career impact
#160 all-timeCareer averages · 17.1 PPG · 12.7 RPG · 2.7 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- Phoenix Suns
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) · 230 lb (104 kg)
- Born
- December 13, 1938
- Died
- April 29, 1987 (48 yrs old)
- College
- Boise State, Idaho
- NBA seasons
- 10 seasons · 1963–64 to 1972–73
Career summaryGus Johnson was a power forward who played 10 NBA seasons, from 1963–64 through 1972–73.
- Career PPG
- 17.1
- Career RPG
- 12.7
- Career APG
- 2.7
- #17 in 1970–71
- #160 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Gus Johnson ranks #160 all time
Gus Johnson ranks #160 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #15.0. His full-career value ranks #284, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
581 games · Career Value Rank #284
NBA honors5× All-Star · 4× All-NBA · 2× All-DefenseContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Gus Johnson with…
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- Gus Johnson vs. Maurice Stokes Classic versatile forwards
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- Gus Johnson vs. Tom Heinsohn Similar career path
- Gus Johnson vs. Larry Johnson Similar career path
- Gus Johnson vs. Mehmet Okur Similar career path
- Gus Johnson vs. Rodney McCray Similar career path
- Gus Johnson vs. Ray Scott Similar career path
- Gus Johnson vs. Terry Dischinger Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Baltimore Bullets and Phoenix Suns
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 44.0%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 69.9%FT%
581 career games · 20,140 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Gus Johnson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1972–73 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 1.5 | -3.97 | PHO | 21 | 0 | 19.9 | 38.1% | — | 69.4% | — | -19.3 |
| 1971–72 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 1.3 | -2.42 | BAL | 39 | 0 | 17.1 | 38.3% | — | 68.3% | #136 | -6.5 |
| 1970–71 | 18.2 | 17.1 | 2.9 | +2.25 | BAL | 66 | 0 | 38.5 | 45.3% | — | 73.8% | #17 | 262.1 |
| 1969–70 | 17.3 | 13.9 | 3.4 | +1.42 | BAL | 78 | 0 | 37.4 | 45.1% | — | 72.4% | #23 | 251.8 |
| 1968–69 | 17.9 | 11.6 | 2.0 | +0.96 | BAL | 49 | 0 | 34.1 | 45.9% | — | 71.7% | #27 | 125.3 |
| 1967–68 | 19.1 | 13.0 | 2.6 | +1.70 | BAL | 60 | 0 | 37.9 | 46.7% | — | 66.7% | #15 | 212.6 |
| 1966–67 | 20.7 | 11.7 | 2.7 | +1.72 | BAL | 73 | 0 | 36.0 | 45.0% | — | 70.8% | #13 | 250.6 |
| 1965–66 | 16.5 | 13.3 | 2.8 | +1.00 | BAL | 41 | 0 | 31.3 | 41.3% | — | 73.6% | #17 | 98.9 |
| 1964–65 | 18.6 | 13.0 | 3.6 | +0.82 | BAL | 76 | 0 | 38.1 | 41.8% | — | 67.6% | #19 | 197.6 |
| 1963–64 | 17.3 | 13.6 | 2.2 | -0.31 | BAL | 78 | 0 | 36.5 | 43.0% | — | 65.8% | #34 | 117.1 |
| Career | 17.1 | 12.7 | 2.7 | — | BAL/PHO | 581 | — | 34.7 | 44.0% | — | 69.9% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
20.8 composite · lower is better
16.2 average league finish
1,490 total value
Career standing
How Gus Johnson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score20.8
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 122.0
- Qualified seasons
- 9
- All-time rank
- #160
Strongest seasons
Every season
Gus Johnson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1972–73Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 34 | 21 | 417 | -3.97 | — | — | -19.3 | — | Modeled |
| 1971–72Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 33 | 39 | 668 | -2.42 | 17.7 | #136 | -6.5 | 21st | Modeled |
| 1970–71Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 32 | 66 | 2,538 | +2.25 | 90.4 | #17 | 262.1 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 31 | 78 | 2,919 | +1.42 | 84.4 | #23 | 251.8 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1968–69Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 30 | 49 | 1,671 | +0.96 | 80.5 | #27 | 125.3 | 68th | Modeled |
| 1967–68Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 29 | 60 | 2,271 | +1.70 | 88.3 | #15 | 212.6 | 82nd | Modeled |
| 1966–67Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 28 | 73 | 2,626 | +1.72 | 88.0 | #13 | 250.6 | 87th | Modeled |
| 1965–66Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 27 | 41 | 1,284 | +1.00 | 82.8 | #17 | 98.9 | 66th | Modeled |
| 1964–65Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 26 | 76 | 2,899 | +0.82 | 79.8 | #19 | 197.6 | 84th | Modeled |
| 1963–64Historical Defense Estimate | BAL | 25 | 78 | 2,847 | -0.31 | 64.1 | #34 | 117.1 | 74th | Modeled |
Career movement
Gus Johnson's career impact by season
Peak +2.25 in 1970–71 · 10 seasons · 20,140 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Gus JohnsonTom Heinsohn
| NBA season | Gus Johnson | Tom Heinsohn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -0.3 | 0.9 |
| 2 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
| 3 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| 4 | 1.7 | 1.5 |
| 5 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| 6 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| 7 | 1.4 | 0.8 |
| 8 | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| 9 | -2.4 | 0.0 |
| 10 | -4.0 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Gus Johnson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PF · All-Time Career #133
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94career similarity score
87/100 closest-season score · 1970–71 ↔ 1963–64PF · All-Time Career #525Larry Johnson
94career similarity score
84/100 closest-season score · 1970–71 ↔ 1997–98PF · All-Time Career #123Vern Mikkelsen
93career similarity score
90/100 closest-season score · 1970–71 ↔ 1957–58Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →