Johnny High

Johnny High
Personal information
Born(1957-04-25)April 25, 1957
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 1987(1987-06-13) (aged 30)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolJones Valley
(Birmingham, Alabama)
College
NBA draft1979: 2nd round, 24th overall pick
Drafted byPhoenix Suns
Playing career1979–1986
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
Number12, 22, 11
Career history
1979–1981,
1982–1984		Phoenix Suns
1984Wyoming Wildcatters
1984–1985Cincinnati Slammers
1985–1986Baltimore Lightning
Career NBA statistics
Points1,396 (5.1 ppg)
Rebounds617 (1.9 rpg)
Assists525 (1.2 apg)
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference

Johnny Harold "Sky" High (April 25, 1957 – June 13, 1987) was an American professional basketball player. He played four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Phoenix Suns.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, High attended high school at Birmingham's Jones Valley High School. He went on to play college basketball at Lawson State Community College and University of Nevada and was selected by Phoenix in the second round of the 1979 NBA draft. As of February 2018, he is the last Nevada Wolf Pack player to achieve a triple double in a game. During an NBA game against Washington on January 28, 1981, High recorded nine steals.

In October 1981, High was traded to the Chicago Bulls for a third round draft pick.[1] He failed to make the Bulls roster and played in an industrial league during the 1981–82 season.[1] High returned to the Suns in July 1982 and was waived in December 1983.[1] He signed two 10-day contracts with the Suns in January 1984 that marked his final stint with the team.[1] High played in the Continental Basketball Association for the Wyoming Wildcatters, Cincinnati Slammers and Baltimore Lightning from 1984 to 1986.[2]

In 1987, High testified before a Maricopa County grand jury that indicted 11 people – including five then-current or former Phoenix Suns players – on cocaine and drug charges.[1]

High died in an early-morning automobile accident on June 13, 1987, in Phoenix, Arizona.[3][4][1] He was working as a shoe salesman in Phoenix at the time of his death.[1]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Source[5]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1979–80 Phoenix 82 13.7 .446 .143 .674 2.1 1.5 .9 .2 5.0
1980–81 Phoenix 81 21.6 .427 .083 .693 2.8 2.5 1.6 .3 8.4
1982–83 Phoenix 82 2 14.1 .461 .200 .463 1.8 1.9 1.0 .4 3.2
1983–84 Phoenix 29 9 17.7 .346 .000 .345 2.3 1.8 1.4 .4 1.6
Career 274 11 16.6 .435 .105 .619 2.3 1.9 1.2 .3 5.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1980 Phoenix 8 15.0 .387 .000 .500 3.1 2.5 .8 .3 4.0
1981 Phoenix 7 16.7 .424 – .643 2.7 .9 .9 .3 5.3
1983 Phoenix 3 15.0 .455 .000 .000 3.3 2.0 1.0 .3 3.3
Career 18 15.7 .413 .000 .531 3.0 1.8 .8 .3 4.4

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Former Phoenix Suns player Johnny High was killed early..." UPI. June 13, 1987. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Johnny High minor league basketball statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Ex-Suns Player Dies After Crash New York Times]
  4. ^ SPORTS PEOPLE; Death of Key Witness New York Times
  5. ^ "Johnny High NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
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