James Johnson (basketball, born 1987)

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]

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]

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 3-pointer at the buzzer which gave the Kings a 106–105 victory over the New York Knicks.

On September 30, 2013, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks.[8] He was waived on October 21.[9]

In November 2013, he was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.[10] 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.[11]

On December 16, 2013, Johnson signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.[12]

On July 17, 2014, Johnson signed with the Toronto Raptors, returning for a second stint.[13]

On December 19, 2014, in Detroit, after Johnson's dunk on Andre Drummond made it 95–75 midway through the fourth,[14] 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."[15] When asked to comment on the dunk itself, Johnson remarked, "That was nasty, right? I cocked that joint back and banged on him!"[16] 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.[17]

On February 21, 2015, Johnson scored a career-high 27 points in the 76–98 loss to the Houston Rockets.[18]

On July 10, 2016, Johnson signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Miami Heat.[19][20] 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.[21] 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.[22] 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.[23]

On July 7, 2017, Johnson re-signed with the Heat.[24] On March 19, 2018, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 149–141 double-overtime win over the Denver Nuggets.[25]

Johnson missed the first month of the 2018–19 season following off-season sports hernia surgery.[26]

On February 6, 2020, Johnson was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 3-team trade.[27]

On November 20, 2020, Johnson, the draft rights to Aleksej Pokuševski, and Minnesota's 2024 second-round selection were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Ricky Rubio and the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels.[28] On November 27, Johnson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Pistons.[29]