Legendary Georgetown Coach John Thompson Jr Passes Away

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John Thompson Jr.
John Thompson Jr. was a legend who became the first black head coach to win a National title.

If you're a fan of the Georgetown Hoyas or just college basketball as a whole then you are probably well aware of John Thompson Jr. Johnson was the head coach of the Hoyas from 1972-1999 and during that time, he was able to pick up a record of 596–239 which just goes to show how successful he was. One of his greatest accomplishments came in 1984 when he became the first black head coach to ever lead a team to the NCAA Championship. Unfortunately, Johnson passed away today at the age of 78.

Thompson touched the lives of numerous young basketball players throughout his career, especially Allen Iverson who got to see first hand just how great of a coach and motivator Thompson was. Today, Iverson took to Twitter where he offered some kind words towards the man he says saved his life.

"Thanks For Saving My Life Coach. I’m going to miss you, but I’m sure that you are looking down on us with a big smile. I would give anything just for one more phone call from you only to hear you say, “Hey MF”, then we would talk about everything except basketball," Iverson wrote.

Numerous fans and former players also took to social media where they also paid tribute to one of the most legendary men in basketball history. Below, you can see just how much Thompson meant to the sport.

About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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