Report: Alabama working on buyout of basketball coach, former NBA guard Avery Johnson

A loss in the first round of the NIT might have been the end of coach Avery Johnson’s run at Alabama.

ESPN reported Friday that the university is negotiating a buyout of Johnson’s contract after the top-seeded Crimson Tide were stunned 80-79 in overtime at home by Norfolk State on Wednesday night.

Johnson, who turns 54 on Monday, became Alabama’s coach in 2015, but the Crimson Tide made just one NCAA Tournament in his four seasons at the helm.

Johnson’s current contract runs through 2023 and pays him approximately $3 million annually. It calls for the school to pay him $8 million if he’s fired without cause before April 15, but falls to $6 million after that.

In his four seasons at Alabama, Johnson is 75-62, with a 34-38 conference record.

As an NBA coach, Johnson has a 254-186 record over stints with the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets. He was the NBA Coach of the Year following the 2005-06 season, when the Mavericks finished 60-22 and won the Western Conference title.

–Field Level Media