Calls for Johnson ovation in Adelaide return

Former players returning to face their old club often offers fans a conundrum on how to react to their former favourites. For returning club legends, even more so.

The Adelaide 36ers as a fanbase and organisation will tonight face something that – at one point in time – looked like it would be a near impossibility, and that’s seeing club legend Daniel Johnson playing at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre for another team.

Johnson may have started his career with the Melbourne Tigers, but his near 15 years of service to the 36ers has made him synonymous with Adelaide, and he’ll suit up for the South East Melbourne Phoenix against a club he scored almost 6000 NBL points for.

NBL analyst Liam Santamaria has called on the Adelaide crowd to show Johnson the respect he deserves upon his return to their arena tonight.

“Every now and then an organisation and a fanbase get an opportunity to show their class, and the Adelaide 36ers have that chance tonight,” Santamaria said on NBL Now.

“There should be not a single boo for Daniel Johnson in that crowd. What there should be instead, when the 36ers fanbase get that opportunity and he’s presented to the crowd or introduced or whatever that moment is, there should be a standing ovation – an extended one – for Daniel Johnson tonight.

“He gave that organisation quiet, low maintenance, high level production over a very long time. He didn’t win a championship, but he was a guy who helped take them to a couple of Grand Finals, he’s a three-time All-NBL First-Team, three-time All-NBL Second Team, scoring, rebounding, just getting it done for a long time for that team.

“Stand up, show your appreciation, and stay standing to make it known that you appreciate what he brought to that club.

“He’s a West Aussie but he’s almost a quasi-South Australian with what he gave to that club.”

With Johnson entering the Phoenix program as an injury replacement for center Gorjok Gak, he’s worked closely with South East Melbourne star Alan Williams during his time at the club.

Williams spent four seasons in the NBA – three with Phoenix and one with Brooklyn – where tributes to former players and returning club legends are commonplace, and he believes Johnson’s return to Adelaide is worth marking by the 36ers.

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“I hope the Adelaide fans – from what I understand and what I’ve seen they’re a classy bunch and a good group of fans – I’m expecting a lot of support and a lot of love shown to him,” Williams told NBL Media about Johnson’s return.

“I would hope they do some sort of tribute. A lot of teams show that respect to players from their past and he’s obviously done so much for that organisation, scored a lot of buckets for that team and really helped the community.

“I’m excited to be part of the group that gets to go out there and hopefully have a good night for him.”

Adelaide’s clash with South East Melbourne tips off tonight at 7:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo.