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Johnson Will Not Return In 2005-06 As Flame Head Coach

August 2, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla., August 2 - Dennis Johnson will not return as the head coach of the Florida Flame for the 2005-06 NBA Development League season. After guiding the team during the 2004-05 D-League campaign, Johnson will pursue other options in order to be closer to his family.

"First, I want to thank the Florida Flame family and all of the Flame fans in Southwest Florida for their fantastic support this past season," said Johnson. "It was a great experience and one I will always cherish."

"The decision is in the best interest of my family. I need to be closer to them and I am going to look for opportunities that allow me to be closer to home."

"We are appreciative of the leadership that Coach Johnson provided as our head coach in the inaugural season of the team," said Flame General Manager and Assistant Coach, Terry Thimlar. "At the same time, we respect his decision and wish him nothing but the best."

The search for a new Flame head coach has already begun, Thimlar said.

The NBA Development League includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Tulsa 66ers (Okla.), as well as teams in Albuquerque (N.M.), Austin (Texas) and Fort Worth (Texas).

The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Ten (10) former D-League coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 29 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.

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