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Vinnie Johnson (Screen shot from WDIV video)
Former Detroit Piston Vinnie Johnson's name has been circulating in the media as a potential running mate for GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon.
But a friend who knows Johnson well tells Deadline Detroit:
"It's a joke. He has a better chance of coming out of retirement to play for the Pistons than he does of being a candidate."
The person, who spoke on the condition anonymity, says Johnson, 65, has never had interest in running for public office.
Johnson, aka "The Microwave," played for the Pistons from 1981-1991 and was on the championship teams in 1989 and 1990. He finished his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs in 1992.
He now heads the Piston Group auto supplier,
Other names being mentioned as possible Dixon running mates include former Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, former NBA player Willie Burton, who runs Excel U, an education program alternative to public education, and former Congressman Mike Bishop.
