From the outset, the Milwaukee ties to this year's NBA Finals matchup may not be apparent, but make no mistake — they are present. Aside from San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet, who played one game in a Milwaukee Bucks uniform, and New York's Tyler Kolek representing Marquette, there is one main character in the story of this year's Finals whose basketball roots run straight back to Milwaukee: Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.
Although Mitch himself isn't a Milwaukee native, it's his legendary father, John Johnson, whose name is etched into Milwaukee hoops history.
Johnson was one of the best rising basketball talents in the country during the mid-to-late 60's and made a name for himself at Milwaukee's Messmer High School, where he led the program to a state title in 1966. A 6-foot-7 small forward originally from Mississippi, Johnson's move to Southeast Wisconsin helped jumpstart a long and storied life in basketball.
He was good friends and blacktop teammates with Downtown Freddie Brown — another one of the city's all-time great basketball players, despite playing for different high schools. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he transferred to Messmer after his prior school, St. Benedict the Moor, was closed due to funding issues.
He and Brown later reunited on the Seattle SuperSonics between 1977 and 1982, where two of Milwaukee's finest high school talents won an NBA title together in '79. During the course of his career, Johnson played 12 NBA seasons, which included two All-Star appearances and nine years averaging double-digit scoring.
Johnson, who is still widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players to ever come from the Milwaukee area, passed his passion for the game down to his son, Mitch, who played college ball at Stanford and later worked his way up the ladder to become head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
John Johnson's Milwaukee legacy looms over the NBA Finals via his rising star of a son.
In 2016, Johnson sadly passed away in his sleep at the age of 68 — about 10 and a half years before his son, Mitch, would lead a team to the NBA Finals. However, the lessons and bond they shared will certainly linger in Johnson's mind as he has a chance to follow in his father's footsteps and claim an NBA title.
To do so in his first full season as a head coach would be an unbelievable feat. Only three first-year head coaches have brought home an NBA title since the turn of the century: Nick Nurse (2019), Tyronn Lue (2016) and Steve Kerr (2015). All three of those coaches share a long history in and around the game before getting their shot at a head-coaching gig, but what sets Johnson apart is that he's only 39.
If he were to win the NBA Finals this season, Johnson could become the fourth-youngest head coach to win an NBA title since 1970, surpassing Tom Heinsohn in 1974. Just like he has throughout his head coaching tenure thus far, Mitch will lean on the lifelong teachings and fundamentals that his father instilled in him.
Although Milwaukee doesn't have much of a dog in the fight, a win for Mitch Johnson is a win for one of the city's all-time greats, which might be enough to put Milwaukee's support behind Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
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