Open Thread: Happy birthday to Spurs legend Johnny Moore

Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images

The shining star on a dark period of Spurs’ history might be the beacon the franchise needs once again.

When I began writing for Pounding the Rock, I started with a series of articles on each of the players whose number is Hanging In The Rafters.

Although I posted them chronologically, I had mentally started with Johnny Moore. He was the first Spurs player I ever met face to face. It was back in the old HemisFair Arena. My parents took my brother and I in 1984. And after the game, we met players and coaches and got autographs. The cool thing was that this all happened in the arena. The players came out of the locker rooms and greeted fans right there.

Johnny Moore was swamped with fans, but stayed back and took time for everyone. He was very congenial. And his autograph is unmistakable and unforgettable, which locked the memory in my mind.

The quotes around the “00” stuck out.

Moore carried the Spurs through the roughest patch seasons in franchise history. He bridged the post-ABA Gervin years with the culture defining David Robinson era. That said, he never received the accolades he deserved. But without him, the Spurs may have lost more than a few games.

Were it for a hiccup of one game, Johnny Moore otherwise played his entire NBA career with the Silver & Black.

Johnny Moore is still in the community teaching basketball. Currently, Moore is the Head Coach and General Partner for the ABA Tri-City All-Stars covering Selma, Schertz, and Cibolo areas just outside San Antonio, Texas. The All-Stars went 16-0 this season.

Over the past few years he has also coached at the middle school level as well as the minor league teams the Universal City Seraphim and the Corpus Christi Clutch. Moore continues to share his love and knowledge of the sport that made him a hometown hero.

Today, Johnny Moore turns sixty-two.

Happy birthday. May your spirit carry through this era of Spurs basketball and carry the squad through the next season.

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Open Thread: Happy birthday to Spurs legend Johnny Moore
Open Thread: Happy birthday to Spurs legend Johnny Moore