Phoenix, ex-LSU star Johnson fit to a 'T'

• By ROBIN FAMBROUGH
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Oct 18, 2009

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Temeka Johnson has plenty of reasons to smile after what was arguably her best WNBA season. For Johnson, it wasn’t about the numbers, unless you want to talk about being No. 1.

After playing in the Sweet 16 semifinals for Kenner’s Bonnabel High and making two Final Four appearances at LSU, Johnson got that elusive championship when the Phoenix Mercury won their second WNBA title in three seasons last week.

“It’s so surreal,” Johnson said. “The championship itself speaks volumes, but everything else played a factor that night for me.

“I thought about Coach (Sue) Gunter, my grandmother, the Final Fours and high school. My mother was there and we embraced. My aunt was there, too. Then my phone started ringing off the hook. It’s the best feeling.”

The 5-foot-3 Johnson played a key role as the Mercury ousted the Indiana Fever 3-2 in the WNBA Finals.

In the decisive Game 5, Johnson had 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting. She made all three of her 3-point attempts and also had three assists and two steals as Phoenix won 120-116.

It was the perfect ending to her first season with the Mercury. Johnson started all 34 regular-season games for the first time since winning Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 for the Washington Mystics.

Johnson posted averages of 9.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in the regular season as the point guard for the WNBA’s most potent offense, led by stars Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter after being traded by the Los Angeles Sparks.

“I’d known and seen Temeka since she was at LSU,” Phoenix General Manager Ann Meyers Drysdale said. “I had a belief in her talent and I also had a belief that Coach Gunter knows point guards.

“I broadcast a number of her games in college, including the SEC tournament final when she was the MVP. So when we had the chance to trade for Temeka, we did it. We had another great guard in Kelly Miller, who also led us to a title. Temeka brought us what we needed.”

Meyers Drysdale played on the U.S. Olympic team for Gunter, the legendary LSU coach who died in 2005. She used that knowledge when making bold offseason moves. Miller was traded to Minnesota, clearing the way for Johnson to join the Mercury after her toughest pro season.

In July 2008, Johnson’s beloved grandmother, Jewell Johnson, died of cancer.

Even though she had successfully recovered from 2007 microfracture knee surgery, similar to procedure that sidelined NBA No. 1 pick Greg Oden for a full season, Johnson started just eight games in her third season with the Sparks.