No Joke: Alexander Johnson unresponsive in the locker room
Posted: Sat Apr 5, 2008 3:28 am
for anyone who didn't see the game, he collided, seemingly innocently, with Blount going for a rebound. He was stunned on the floor but stood up and left with Ron Culp, apparently things took a bad turn in the locker room:
sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-0404heat,0,5018924.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Heat forward hospitalized, unresponsive after blow to head
By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
11:17 PM EDT, April 4, 2008
WASHINGTON
The Heat's season took a frightening turn late in Friday night's 109-95 loss to the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center.
Forward Alexander Johnson was helped off the court after taking a blow to the temple, apparently in a collision with teammate Mark Blount.
While Johnson maintained consciousness as he was helped to the bench, his eyes, according to teammates, later rolled to the back of his head and he began to lose lucidness.
Johnson was taken from the arena on a stretcher and rushed to an area hospital for a CAT scan.
Coach Pat Riley was visibly shaken after the loss.
"We're more concerned right now about Alex,'' he said. "He's not responding at all."
Riley declined to go into details about the game, saying as he walked away from the media, "This God-forsaken season has got to be over with."
The Heat fell to 13-63 with the loss.
Johnson was going for a rebound when he collided with Blount and immediately fell to the court.
"It was scary," teammate Chris Quinn said.
Teammate Joel Anthony, who watched from the bench before checking in to replace Alexander, said it appeared to be a benign attempt to go for a rebound.
"I just saw him go for the board," Anthony said. "Then I turned around and he was grabbing his head, as they were running the other way.
"We're all worried about him."
Teammates dressed quietly after the game. Trainer Ron Culp accompanied Alexander to the hospital.
Alexander, a Florida State product, is completing his first season with the Heat. He was added in the offseason as a free agent.
Former Heat forward Caron Butler witnessed the collision.
"I saw them run into each other, that's it," Butler said. "They ran into each other, him and his teammate."
Ira Winderman can be reached at iwinderman@sun-sentinel.com

