Avery Johnson negotiating buyout with Alabama
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Avery Johnson’s time in Tuscaloosa appears to be coming to a close after four seasons. The head basketball coach is currently negotiating a buyout with the university, according to multiple reports Thursday night.
News of Johnson’s impending departure comes a day after Alabama’s disappointing 80-79 loss to Norfolk State in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. The Crimson Tide (18-16, 8-10 in the SEC) finished 10th in the conference and ended its season by dropping five of its final six games. After making it to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2012, the Crimson Tide was one of the first four teams left out of the Big Dance this year. Johnson led Alabama to the lone NCAA Tournament in his four seasons in charge. The other three years resulted with first-round exits in the NIT.
Johnson said he talked with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne for an hour on Saturday discussing the future of Alabama basketball. The former head coach expressed interest in remaining with the team following Wednesday night’s loss.
“I love being the coach here at Alabama. That’s my plan,” Johnson said. “I made that crystal clear to Greg in our meeting. And hopefully they feel the same way. But I’m committed to it. I still have time left, obviously, on my contract.”
Johnson’ contract was set to run through 2023. It includes an $8 million buyout. If the university waits until April 15, that figure drops to $6 million.
Johnson posted a 75-62 record over his four seasons at the helm. The highlight of his tenure at Alabama occurred last season when he led the Crimson Tide to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual national champion Villanova. That team was led by NBA Draft lottery pick Collin Sexton, who set Alabama’s freshman scoring record with 632 total points on the year. Sexton was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with No. 8 pick in last year’s draft becoming the Crimson Tide’s first draft pick since 2008.
Johnson was introduced as Alabama's 20th men's basketball coach in 2015. Tuscaloosa was his first college job after spending seven seasons as a head coach in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks (2005-08) and NewJersey/Brooklyn Nets (2010-12). In 2005-06, Johnson led the Mavericks to their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals en route to earning NBA Coach of the Year honors.
Johnson also had a 16-year playing career in the NBA in which he averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 25.3 minutes played in 1,054 career games with seven different teams. The point guard was known as "The Little General" for his on-court leadership and diminutive stature. He helped lead the San Antonio Spurs to an NBA championship in 1999.