James Johnson
Johnson with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022
No. 16 – Indiana Pacers
PositionPower forward / small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1987-02-20) February 20, 1987 (age 37)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolCheyenne East
(Cheyenne, Wyoming)
CollegeWake Forest (2007–2009)
NBA draft2009: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2009–2011Chicago Bulls
2011→Iowa Energy
2011–2012Toronto Raptors
2012–2013Sacramento Kings
2013Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2013–2014Memphis Grizzlies
2014–2016Toronto Raptors
2016–2020Miami Heat
2020Minnesota Timberwolves
2020–2021Dallas Mavericks
2021New Orleans Pelicans
2021–2022Brooklyn Nets
2022–presentIndiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Third-team All-ACC (2008, 2009)
  • ACC All-Freshman team (2008)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

James Patrick Johnson (born February 20, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the starting power forward for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons from 2007 to 2009. He was drafted 16th overall in the 2009 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.

High school career

Johnson attended Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. During his senior year, he averaged 28 points and nine rebounds per game.[1] Johnson and his brother, Scott, were both wide receivers on the football team as well.[2]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Johnson was listed as the No. 16 small forward and the No. 62 player in the nation in 2007.[3]

College career

As a freshman at Wake Forest in 2007–08, Johnson had an instant impact, garnering third-team All-ACC honors as a freshman and finishing second in the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year balloting, as he led the Demon Deacons in scoring and rebounding.

As a sophomore, Johnson again led the team in rebounding, leading the team to a 24–5 record and a #1 ranking during the 2008–09 season. He was again named third team All-ACC. Following the season, Johnson declared his eligibility for the 2009 NBA draft.[1]

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2009–2011)

Johnson was drafted 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 NBA draft. On July 8, 2009, he signed his first professional contract with the Bulls. On January 27, 2011, Johnson was assigned to the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League.[4] On February 14, 2011, he was recalled by the Bulls.[5]

Toronto Raptors (2011–2012)

On February 22, 2011, Johnson was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for the 2011 first-round pick that they had acquired from the Miami Heat.[6]

Sacramento Kings (2012–2013)

On July 16, 2012, Johnson was traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a 2014 second-round draft pick.[7] On December 28, 2012, Johnson hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer which gave the Kings a 106–105 victory over the New York Knicks.[8]

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2013)

On September 30, 2013, Johnson signed with the Atlanta Hawks.[9] He was waived on October 21.[10]

In November 2013, Johnson was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[11] In 10 games with the Vipers, he averaged 18.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.4 blocks per game.[12]

Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2014)

On December 16, 2013, Johnson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.[13]

Return to Toronto (2014–2016)

On July 17, 2014, Johnson signed with the Toronto Raptors, returning for a second stint.[14]

On December 19, 2014, in Detroit, after Johnson's dunk on Andre Drummond made it 95–75 midway through the fourth,[15] on Toronto's next possession, Drummond smashed into Johnson with a forearm and hip smash. This set off a melee that saw Drummond get a flagrant foul and four technicals called. Following the game, Johnson said "That was nasty, but that's basketball. I don't expect anything less from anybody that's trying to win. Frustration sets in when you want to win—no hard feelings."[16] When asked to comment on the dunk itself, Johnson remarked, "That was nasty, right? I cocked that joint back and banged on him!"[17] Johnson's quote, combined with the dunk, garnered social media buzz by Raptor fans, gaining popularity as a catchphrase associated with him to the point that it once spawned online T-shirt sales featuring his quote printed on T-shirts by an entrepreneur for a charitable campaign.[18]

On February 21, 2015, Johnson scored a career-high 27 points in a 76–98 loss to the Houston Rockets.[19]

Miami Heat (2016–2020)

On July 10, 2016, Johnson signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Miami Heat.[20][21] He made his debut for the Heat in their season opener on October 26, 2016, recording 11 points and six assists off the bench in a 108–96 win over Orlando Magic.[22] On February 10, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points in a 108–99 win over the Brooklyn Nets, helping the Heat record their 13th straight win.[23] On April 5, 2017, he went 6 of 7 from three-point range and had 26 points in a 112–99 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[24]

On July 7, 2017, Johnson re-signed with the Heat on a 4-year, $60 million contract.[25][26] On January 10, 2018, he was suspended for one game without pay for an altercation with Serge Ibaka during a game against the Toronto Raptors a day earlier.[27] On March 19, 2018, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 149–141 double-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.[28]

Johnson missed the first month of the 2018–19 season following off-season sports hernia surgery.[29]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2020)

On February 6, 2020, Johnson was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-team trade.[30]

Dallas Mavericks (2020–2021)

On November 20, 2020, Johnson was traded, alongside the draft rights to Aleksej Pokuševski and Minnesota's 2024 second-round pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Ricky Rubio and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels and Immanuel Quickley.[31] On November 27, Johnson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Pistons.[32]

New Orleans Pelicans (2021)

On March 26, 2021, Johnson was traded, alongside Wes Iwundu and a second-round draft pick, to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for JJ Redick and Nicolò Melli.[33]

Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Johnson signed a one-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets.[34] On March 1, 2022, he logged a season-high 19 points, alongside three assists, in a 108–109 loss to the Toronto Raptors.[35] On April 7, Johnson was waived by the Nets.[36]

Indiana Pacers (2022–present)

On September 16, 2022, Johnson signed with the Indiana Pacers, reuniting him with former head coach Rick Carlisle.[37] On February 9, 2023, he was waived alongside Goga Bitadze to make room for new trade–deadline acquisitions Jordan Nwora, George Hill, and Serge Ibaka.[38] Four days later, he re-signed with the Pacers for the remainder of the season following the release of Ibaka.[39]

On December 15, 2023, Johnson re-signed with the Pacers.[40] After playing only five games, Johnson was waived on January 17, 2024, to complete a trade for Pascal Siakam.[41][42] Two days later, he signed a 10 day contract with the Pacers[43] and on January 29, he signed a second one.[44] On February 8, he signed with the Pacers for the rest of the season.[45]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Chicago 65 11 11.6 .452 .326 .729 2.0 .7 .3 .7 3.9
2010–11 Chicago 13 0 9.5 .415 .222 .462 1.8 1.1 .6 .7 3.2
Toronto 25 25 28.0 .464 .240 .707 4.7 3.0 1.0 1.1 9.2
2011–12 Toronto 62 40 25.2 .450 .317 .704 4.7 2.0 1.1 1.4 9.1
2012–13 Sacramento 54 11 16.3 .413 .095 .597 2.7 1.1 .8 .9 5.1
2013–14 Memphis 52 4 18.4 .464 .253 .844 3.2 2.1 .8 1.1 7.4
2014–15 Toronto 70 17 19.6 .589 .216 .657 3.7 1.4 .8 1.0 7.9
2015–16 Toronto 57 32 16.2 .475 .303 .574 2.2 1.2 .5 .6 5.0
2016–17 Miami 76 5 27.4 .479 .341 .707 4.9 3.6 1.0 1.1 12.8
2017–18 Miami 73 41 26.6 .503 .308 .698 4.9 3.8 1.0 .7 10.8
2018–19 Miami 55 33 21.2 .433 .336 .714 3.2 2.5 .6 .5 7.8
2019–20 Miami 18 0 15.6 .448 .356 .571 2.9 1.2 .3 .7 5.7
Minnesota 14 1 24.1 .500 .370 .676 4.7 3.8 1.4 1.4 12.0
2020–21 Dallas 29 1 17.4 .462 .250 .586 3.0 1.7 .8 .8 5.7
New Orleans 22 11 24.5 .434 .267 .596 4.1 2.2 .8 .9 9.2
2021–22 Brooklyn 62 10 19.2 .469 .271 .527 3.5 2.1 .5 .5 5.5
2022–23 Indiana 18 1 9.0 .449 .200 .500 1.7 .8 .4 .3 2.8
2023–24 Indiana 5 0 4.9 .400 .000 — .8 1.0 .8 .0 .8
Career 770 243 20.1 .474 .301 .678 3.5 2.1 .8 .8 7.6

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Chicago 4 0 5.0 .000 .000 – .3 .3 .0 .0 .0
2014 Memphis 3 0 9.3 .333 .400 .700 2.0 .0 .3 .0 6.3
2015 Toronto 2 0 6.0 .333 – .000 1.0 .5 .0 .0 2.0
2016 Toronto 10 0 9.8 .480 .444 .667 1.5 .6 .3 .0 3.0
2018 Miami 5 5 32.2 .548 .538 .643 6.0 4.8 1.2 1.2 12.4
Career 24 5 13.3 .467 .464 .545 2.3 1.3 .4 .3 4.8

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Wake Forest 30 28 29.2 .487 .280 .689 8.1 1.2 1.4 1.3 14.6
2008–09 Wake Forest 31 31 30.5 .542 .319 .697 8.5 2.0 1.4 1.5 15.0
Career 61 59 29.9 .515 .296 .693 8.3 1.6 1.4 1.4 14.8

Personal life

Johnson is of African-American and Samoan heritage.[46][47] He is a black belt in karate. Johnson also claims a kickboxing record of 20–0 and to have also fought in MMA; however, neither of these claims has been corroborated.[48]

Johnson has a tattoo of his son's name, "Naymin", inscribed around his front neck.[49]

Johnson was arrested for domestic assault on June 7, 2014, after allegedly hitting and choking his wife, Callie, at their home.[50] On June 30, 2014, the domestic assault case against Johnson was dismissed after his wife failed to appear in court.[51] The couple later divorced, with Callie gaining custody of their son.[52]

References

  1. ^ a b "James Johnson Bio – Wake Forest Men's Basketball". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  2. ^ Matteson, Cory (September 17, 2005). "With Fondren Out, East cruises to surprising win". Casper Star-Tribune. p. 23. Retrieved April 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Rivals.com". Yahoo!.
  4. ^ "Bulls assign James Johnson to D-League – Chicago Bulls". NBA.com.
  5. ^ "Johnson rejoins Bulls after NBDL stint". February 15, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  6. ^ "Raptors Acquire Johnson From Chicago". National Basketball Association. February 22, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  7. ^ "Kings Acquire James Johnson". National Basketball Association. July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "Kings 106-105 Knicks (Dec 28, 2012) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Atlanta Hawks fill up their training camp roster :InsideHoops". insidehoops.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "Atlanta Hawks waive James Johnson :InsideHoops". insidehoops.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  11. ^ "Vipers Select Johnson and Hunt in First Round of NBA Development League Draft". NBA.com. November 1, 2013. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "James Johnson G-League Stats - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
  13. ^ "Grizzlies sign James Johnson – Memphis Grizzlies". NBA.com.
  14. ^ "Raptors Sign James Johnson – Toronto Raptors". NBA.com.
  15. ^ "James Johnson Cocks the Hammer and Explodes on the Rim". December 19, 2014. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021 – via YouTube.
  16. ^ "Raptors at Pistons". NBA.com.
  17. ^ Grange, Michael (January 12, 2015). "Raptors' James Johnson maturing into role – Sportsnet.ca". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  18. ^ Ngabo, Gilbert (January 12, 2015). "Toronto Raptors dunk prompts charitable campaign". Metro News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  19. ^ "Raptors at Rockets". NBA.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  20. ^ "HEAT Announce Free Agent Signings". National Basketball Association. July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  21. ^ Pineda, Matt (July 10, 2016). "Heat add James Johnson on 1-year, $4 million deal". HotHotHoops.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  22. ^ "Heat vs. Magic – Box Score". ESPN. October 26, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  23. ^ "Johnson scores 26, Heat beat lowly Nets for 13th straight". ESPN. February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  24. ^ "Dragic, Heat top Hornets 112–99; pull into tie for 8th place". ESPN. April 5, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  25. ^ "HEAT Re-Signs James Johnson". National Basketball Association. July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  26. ^ "James Johnson Re-Signs with Miami Heat on 4-Year, $60M Contract". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "Miami's J. Johnson, Toronto's Ibaka suspended; Raptors' DeRozan, Heat's Goran Dragic fined". NBA. January 11, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  28. ^ "Stats system crashes in Miami as Heat top Nuggets in double overtime". ESPN. March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  29. ^ "LeBron James scores 51 points, Lakers roll past Heat 113–97". ESPN. November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018. James Johnson played for the first time this season after finally being declared good to go following offseason sports hernia surgery.
  30. ^ "MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES ACQUIRE JAMES JOHNSON IN SEVEN-PLAYER, THREE-TEAM TRADE". National Basketball Association. February 6, 2020.
  31. ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire Ricky Rubio And Draft Rights To Jaden McDaniels From Oklahoma City And Draft Rights To Leandro Bolmaro From New York". National Basketball Association. November 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Thunder Acquires Trevor Ariza, Justin Jackson and Two Second-Round Draft Picks". National Basketball Association. November 27, 2020.
  33. ^ "Mavs acquire sharpshooting guard Redick in trade with Pelicans". mavs.com. March 26, 2021.
  34. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign James Johnson". NBA.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  35. ^ "Raptors rally for 2nd straight win over struggling Nets". NBA.com. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  36. ^ "Nets waive James Johnson, open roster spot before postseason". NBA.com. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  37. ^ "Pacers Announce Signings". NBA.com. September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  38. ^ "Indiana Pacers Acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, and Serge Ibaka, and Multiple Second-Round Picks". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  39. ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign James Johnson". NBA.com. February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  40. ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign Forward James Johnson". NBA.com. December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  41. ^ "James Johnson: Let go by Indiana". CBSSports.com. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  42. ^ "Indiana Pacers Waive James Johnson". NBA.com. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  43. ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign James Johnson to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  44. ^ "Indiana Pacers Sign James Johnson to Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  45. ^ "Indiana Pacers Waive Cory Joseph, Sign James Johnson". NBA.com. February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  46. ^ "Son of Samoa makes it big at Wake Forest". samoanewsonline.com. June 22, 2009. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
  47. ^ "James Johnson". July 3, 2012.
  48. ^ "Miami Heat Forward, MMA Warrior And Black Belt James Johnson Evaluates Recent NBA Fights". January 20, 2018.
  49. ^ Chau, Danny (January 28, 2014). "They Call Him Bloodsport: James Johnson Kicks His Way Into the NBA".
  50. ^ "Griz's Johnson accused of hitting, choking wife". June 7, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  51. ^ James Johnson's Domestic Assault Case Dismissed Archived November 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  52. ^ "Raptors' James Johnson maturing into role – Sportsnet.ca".

External links

Indiana Pacers roster
2009 NBA draft
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