B. J. Johnson (basketball)
Robert "B. J." Johnson Jr. (born December 21, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for La Salle and Syracuse.
Johnson with the Lakeland Magic in 2019 | |
Free agent | |
---|---|
Position | Small forward |
Personal information | |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | December 21, 1995
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pennsylvania) |
College | |
NBA draft | 2018 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2019 | Lakeland Magic |
2019 | Atlanta Hawks |
2019 | Sacramento Kings |
2019–2020 | Orlando Magic |
2019–2020 | →Lakeland Magic |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
High school career
Johnson is the son of Robert Johnson, who played basketball at La Salle University from 1986 to 1990. B.J. grew up outside Philadelphia and attended Lower Merion High School, Kobe Bryant's alma mater.[1] He had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Chester High School in the 2013 state championship. Johnson was a top 100 high school prospect.[2]
College career
Johnson originally committed to Syracuse out of high school. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. After the season, he decided to transfer to La Salle. He explained that coach John Giannini told him he would be an impact player after sitting out the requisite year.[1] Johnson scored 35 points in a December 2016 win over Florida Gulf Coast.[2] As a junior at La Salle, Johnson led the team in points (17.6 per game) and rebounds (6.3) per game. He was named to the First team All-Big 5. After the season he declared for the 2017 NBA draft, but ultimately withdrew his name.[3] As a senior, Johnson was named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10.[4] He was also named to the First Team All-Big 5 after a season in which he averaged 20.8 points per game, the most for an Explorer since Rasual Butler in 2002, as well as leading the team with 8.3 rebounds per game.[5] He graduated from La Salle with a degree in finance.[6]
Professional career
Lakeland Magic (2018–2019)
After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Johnson signed with the Charlotte Hornets for NBA Summer League competition.[6] On September 5, 2018, Johnson signed with the Orlando Magic.[7] He was waived by the Magic on October 10 but would play for their G League affiliate the Lakeland Magic.[8] On October 23, 2018, Johnson was included in the training camp roster of the Lakeland Magic.[9]
Atlanta Hawks (2019)
On March 1, 2019, Johnson signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[10][11] Johnson made his NBA debut two days later, putting up 11 points on perfect 4/4 shooting (3/3 three-point shooting), 2 rebounds, and a steal during 19 minutes of action in a 123–118 win over the Chicago Bulls.[12] On March 12, Johnson signed a second 10-day contract.[13] After the expiration of his second 10-day contract, Johnson returned to the Lakeland Magic.
Sacramento Kings (2019)
On April 2, 2019, Johnson signed a rest-of-season contract with the Sacramento Kings.[14] On July 19, 2019, Johnson was waived by the Kings.[15]
Orlando Magic (2019–2020)
On September 27, 2019, Johnson re-signed with the Orlando Magic for training camp,[16] however, he was waived on October 19.[17] On November 4, the Magic signed him to a two-way contract.[18] On January 4, 2020, Johnson tallied 35 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the G League against the Canton Charge.[19] He averaged 22.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game for Lakeland. Johnson was named to the All-NBA G League Second Team.[20]
On December 4, 2020, Johnson signed with the Miami Heat.[21] On December 19, 2020, Johnson was waived by the Heat.[22]
Career statistics
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 |
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Atlanta | 6 | 0 | 7.2 | .500 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.3 | .0 | .3 | .0 | 3.5 |
2018–19 | Sacramento | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | .500 | .000 | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
Career | 7 | 0 | 7.0 | .500 | .429 | 1.000 | 1.1 | .0 | .3 | .0 | 3.3 |
References
- Waters, Mike (March 23, 2015). "B.J. Johnson's father details the reasons behind transferring from Syracuse to La Salle". The Post-Standard. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Zeitlin, Dave (December 25, 2016). "After returning home, B.J. Johnson creating his own legacy at La Salle". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- "La Salle's B.J. Johnson will return for senior season". NBC Sports. April 15, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- "Aldridge, Adams Named Atlantic 10 Co-Players of Year, Rhode Island's Hurley Voted as Coach of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- "Johnson Claims Three Philadelphia Big 5 Awards, Including First Team Honors". La Salle Explorers. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Hunt, Donald (June 25, 2018). "La Salle's B.J. Johnson to play for Charlotte Hornets in NBA Summer League". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- "RELEASE: Magic sign free agent guard B.J. Johnson". Magic PR on Twitter. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- "Magic's B.J. Johnson: Waived, will play in G-League". CBS Sports. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- "LAKELAND MAGIC FINALIZE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- "Hawks Sign B.J. Johnson to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- Johnson, Parker (March 1, 2019). "Johnson ready to make the most of 10-day deal with Hawks". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/id/401071619
- "Hawks' B.J. Johnson: Getting second 10-day contract". CBS Sports. March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- "Kings Sign BJ Johnson". NBA.com. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
- "Kings Waive BJ Johnson". NBA.com. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- "PRESS RELEASE: Orlando Magic sign free agent B.J. Johnson". Orlando Magic PR on Twitter. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- "PRESS RELEASE: Magic waive five players". Orlando Magic PR on Twitter. October 19, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- "Magic Sign B.J. Johnson to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- "Magic's B.J. Johnson: Pops off for 35". CBS Sports. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- "Johnson, Magette and Law Named to All-NBA G League Teams". Our Sports Central. June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "BJ Johnson Signs With HEAT". NBA.com. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- "Max Strus earns final Heat roster spot, on two-way deal; guard BJ Johnson waived". sun-sentinel.com. December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com or Basketball-Reference.com
- La Salle Explorers bio