Ex-NBA star Eddie Johnson who was BANNED from the league for drugs is dead at 65
A FORMER NBA player who was banned from playing in the league in 1987 over his use of cocaine has died in prison at the age of 65.
Florida officials told on Wednesday that “Fast Eddie" Johnson died on Oct. 26 while battling an undisclosed illness.
Johnson was selected in the third-round by the Atlanta Hawks, out of Auburn, in the 1977 Draft.
He became an immediate contributor on the team and quickly earned a starting position.
Because of his explosive first step, Johnson earned the nickname “Fast Eddie” and averaged 15.1 points and 5.1 assists in 10 NBA seasons, nine of which came with the Hawks.
He set a career high in scoring when he averaged 19.1 points for the Hawks in the 1980-81 season – where he made two NBA All-Star teams in 1980 and 1981.
During his glory years with Atlanta, Johnson played alongside Hawks legends Dominique Wilkins, Doc Rivers and Spud Webb.
His career went spiraling out of control after his stint with the Hawks.
In 1986, the Hawks traded Johnson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Johnny Davis.
Johnson then signed with the Seattle Supersonics in 1987. That same year he received a lifetime suspension from the NBA for his cocaine use.
Things turned worse after his post-basketball career - Johnson was reportedly arrested more than 100 times in his life from everything from cocaine possession, burglary, robbery and even assaulting a police officer.
In 2006, Johnson was arrested for burglary and the molestation of an eight-year-old girl while awaiting trial on other rape charges.
Johnson denied wrongdoing, but a jury eventually found him guilty after less than 2 hours of deliberating.
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In 2008, he was convicted of sexual battery of a minor, lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor and trespassing for the sexual assault on the minor and received a mandatory life sentence.
Johnson was serving his life sentence at Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton, Florida.
He is survived by his 3 children and will be buried this Saturday in Florida.