BOSTON—One by one they walked over for hugs and handshakes and conversations, a busload of Raptors players, coaches and officials who wanted a minute with an old friend.
Amir Johnson greeted them all with his usual smile, infectious laugh and genuine love and respect.
It’s what he did for six years as a teammate, it’s what he does now as an opponent, it’s what he’ll do always in future.
Hundreds of Raptors have come and gone over the past two decades, and it is hard to imagine anyone more universally liked than Johnson.
“I tried to be cheerful,” he said of what stood him apart from so many others.