Ervin Johnson

Ervin Johnson - Now a community ambassador for the Denver Nuggets.

Ervin Johnson - Johnson works as an ambassador for the Denver Nuggets.

- 23rd pick: Ervin Johnson (Seattle)

- Ervin Johnson never professionally played outside of the NBA, because he never had to. Johnson managed a 13 year NBA career between 1993 and 2006 before finally succumbing to the inevitable aged 39.

This is particularly impressive considering that we are talking about a man with marginal basketball talent. I say that with affection, of course, but it's true, as evidenced by how Johnson averaged more fouls than page for each of the last six seasons of his NBA career. That's pretty marginal, and yet he stuck around anyway. Of course, this durability owes a lot to the 7 year contract that he signed in the summer of 1997, onto which was tacked an unnecessary and ambitious two year extension by the Bucks in October 2001 (even though the previous season was the first of the fouls/points dilemma.) Yet Ervin stuck around nonetheless, and ended up appearing in a massive 845 NBA games with 4 teams, retiring with career averages of 4.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. (As well as 2.9 fouls.)

Ervin Johnson fact: Ervin Johnson was not drafted until he was almost 26 years old. Indeed, he did not start college until he was nearly 22. Johnson did not play high school basketball and worked in a supermarket for two and a half years before eventually committing to New Orleans in 1989. This might explain the lack of refinement in his offensive skills. But since that didn't hold him back career wise, there ain't nothing wrong with it.

Johnson now works as a community ambassador for the Denver Nuggets, one of his former teams.