Cameron Jordan Johnson (born March 3, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...

and the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

High school career

As a junior in high school, Johnson was a 6-foot-2 point guard before having a growth spurt. He graduated from

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The origin of this Marian title goes back to Father Jules Chevalier, the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. History In 1854, in Issoudun, during the novena of the I ...

. As a senior at OLSH, Johnson averaged 27.8 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He finished his career with 1,175 points. He signed with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

in April 2014.

College career

Pittsburgh (2014–2017)

Johnson suffered a knee injury shortly into his first year at Pittsburgh and was allowed to redshirt during that season in order to undergo rehabilitation for his injury. He was used as a substitute during his redshirt freshman year. As a redshirt sophomore at Pitt, Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game and hit 41.5% of his three-point attempts. Johnson graduated from

with a degree in communications in three years. He took advantage of the graduate transfer rule and moved to North Carolina without sitting out a year. The University of Pittsburgh initially refused to allow his release to their in-conference rival Tar Heels but eventually relented. He cited uncertainty in coaching and a losing record as factors in his decision to transfer.

North Carolina (2017–2019)

On November 15, 2017, five days after his team's season opener, Johnson had surgery to fix a torn meniscus. Johnson ended up sitting out ten games. Although hindered by the injury, Johnson finished third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game as well as grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game in his redshirt junior season. Johnson scored a career-high 32 points against Clemson. After the season, Johnson underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure and announced his intention to return to North Carolina for his senior season. Johnson's senior season proved to be his most statistically successful campaign. Unhindered by injury, Johnson was the leading scorer for the Tar Heels with 16.9 points per game and averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Johnson shot 50.6 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three, leading some commentators to call Johnson "the best shooter in hedraft." Johnson had several notable performances during his senior season. Playing against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, Johnson shot 79% from the field for the game and made his first six three-point attempts, ultimately finishing with 27 points in a 95–57 rout of the Demon Deacons. Against

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke men's ...

, Johnson finished with 26 points in an 88–72 victory against the Blue Devils, then the nation's top-ranked team. Against Clemson in

Littlejohn Coliseum The Littlejohn Coliseum is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. It is home to the Clemson University Tigers men's and women's basketball teams. It is also the site of Clemson graduations and the Clemson C ...

, Johnson made six three-pointers to finish with 19 points in a two-point victory. After the conclusion of conference play, Johnson was named to the All-ACC first team.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2019–present)

On June 20, 2019, the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

drafted Johnson with the eleventh overall pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

, then immediately traded him and

Dario Šarić Dario Šarić (; born 8 April 1994) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He also represents the senior ...

to the

for Jarrett Culver, the sixth pick of the draft. The trade was officially completed on July 6, with the Suns later announcing that they had signed Johnson the same day. On October 26, 2019, Johnson made his NBA debut coming off the bench in a 130–122 win over the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. On November 19, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 120–116 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. Johnson then matched his season-high on December 5 in a 139–132 overtime win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. He made his first professional start with the team on February 10, 2020, against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. On March 3, 2020, Johnson scored a new season-high of 21 points on his 24th birthday in a 123–114 loss to the defending champion

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. After originally being out for the rest of March due to illness, Johnson returned to action as a starter on July 31, scoring 12 points in a 125–112 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. Two days later, Johnson had his first professional double-double with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a 117–115 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. He later recorded his second double-double of his rookie season on August 6, matching his season-high 12 rebounds with 14 points scored in a 114–99 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. Two days later, Johnson broke the franchise record previously set by

Wesley Person Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the he ...

for the quickest player to score at least 100 three-pointers in a 119–112 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

, reaching it in only 54 games played. With Johnson starting for Phoenix, the Suns would have an 8–0 record in the

2020 NBA Bubble The 2020 NBA Bubble, also referred to as the Disney Bubble or the Orlando Bubble, was the bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, that was created by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to protect its play ...

as of August 13, having a winning streak of at least 7 games for the first time since March 2010. On December 27, 2020, Johnson matched his then career-high of 21 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over the

. Johnson helped the Suns reach the

2021 NBA Finals The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks d ...

, but the Suns lost the series in 6 games to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. On March 4, 2022, Johnson put up a career-high 38 points with nine three-pointers made alongside a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer in a 115–114 win over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

. He finished third in

NBA Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substit ...

voting, behind winner

Tyler Herro Tyler Christopher Herro ( ; born January 20, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one year with the Kentucky Wildcats. After bein ...

and

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and ...

. In the

2022–23 NBA season The 2022–23 NBA season is the 77th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the regular season began on October 18, 2022, and is scheduled to end on April 9, 2023. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on February 1 ...

, Johnson was named the starting power forward for the Suns by head coach

Monty Williams Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach and a former player and executive who is the head coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Williams played for five NBA ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 57 , , 9 , , 22.0 , , .435 , , .390 , , .807 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 11 , , 24.0 , , .420 , , .349 , , .847 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 16 , , 26.2 , , .460 , , .425 , , .860 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 183 , , 36 , , 24.2 , , .440 , , .390 , , .843 , , 3.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.4

Playoffs

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, 21 , , 0 , , 21.1 , , .500 , , .446 , , .906 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

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, 13 , , 3 , , 24.6 , , .465 , , .373 , , .813 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 10.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 34 , , 3 , , 22.4 , , .483 , , .414 , , .859 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 14.4 , , .394 , , .348 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , .4 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 1 , , 11.7 , , .397 , , .375 , , .808 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.3 , , .447 , , .415 , , .811 , , 4.5 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, 26 , , 20 , , 29.3 , , .426 , , .341 , , .847 , , 4.7 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 29.9 , , .505 , , .457 , , .818 , , 5.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 16.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 135 , , 90 , , 25.4 , , .456 , , .405 , , .817 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.2

Personal life

Johnson is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. When the national anthem is played before games, he recites Psalm 23. He also wears the jersey number 23 in part because of Psalm 23. Johnson’s brother, Donovan “Puff” Johnson, plays basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Johnson's mother is a school nurse. This inspired Johnson to give out special appreciation to the healthcare workers and their families on their February 7, 2021 home game against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, the Suns' first home game since March 8, 2020 to have fans enter their arena after dealing with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Johnson's mother is

Croatian American Croatian Americans or Croat Americans ( hr, Američki Hrvati) are Americans who have full or partial Croatian ancestry. In 2012, there were 414,714 American citizens of Croat or Croatian descent living in the United States as per revised 2010 Un ...

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioPittsburgh Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cameron 1996 births Living people American men's basketball players American people of Croatian descent Basketball players from Pennsylvania Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Moon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Phoenix Suns players Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Small forwards Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area