Jerry Jamar Johnson (born April 23, 1982) is an American-born naturalised

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

i 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 who last played for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

. Playing as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

, he played college basketball at Rider, earning a slew of personal awards. Since 2011 he has been playing for

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...

, he later became a citizen of the country, playing for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

College career

The

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

native played at

J. P. McCaskey High School J. P. McCaskey High School is a public high school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Located on the east side of Lancaster, it is named after John Piersol McCaskey, a local educator. The McCaskey campus consists of two buildings ...

from 1997 to 2001, scoring a school record 1,792 points. Johnson was recruited by the Rider to play in the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and ...

(MAAC) of the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

. He was predicted to struggle to in obtaining sufficient SAT scores to be academically eligible, reportedly only receiving a scholarship offer from Rider. In his freshman season in 2001–02 he earned the MAAC Rookie of the Year title, also being selected to the All-MAAC third team. For his sophomore season, despite adapting to a move from

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, he was selected to the All-MAAC First Team, ditto in his junior season. After the 2004–05 season, he was selected to the All-MAAC First Team for the third consecutive time, also earning an MAAC tournament First Team selection after Rider reached the final. To cap off the season, the senior was elected male Rider Athlete of the Year. Johnson finished his Broncs career with 2,047 points - second best career record for the program - in 116 games (17.6 per game, fifth best), also adding 421 assists (fifth best) at an average of 3.6 (seventh best) whilst his 102 three-pointers in 2004–05 established a Rider record. A three-time team MVP, he was inducted into the Rider Hall of Fame in 2013.

Professional career

Johnson participated in the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft ( ...

but went undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft, an NBA Summer League participation with 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 ...

was also unsuccessful. Johnson started his career with Polpharma Starogard Gdańsk in the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish league pyramid. The winning team of the final round are crow ...

, averaging 20 points and 5.8 assists in more than 36 minutes per game. After an unsuccessful trial with Greek side

Panellinios Panellinios G.S. (Greek (language), Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γ.Σ.), full name, Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos (Greek (language), Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος), is a Greece, Greek sports club, mult ...

the next summer, he moved to

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

side Mersin BB. He posted 10.9 points and 3.17 assists (16th best) in nearly 27 minutes on average in the league. He was contracted to Chypriot side

APOEL APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...

during the 2007 offseason, before joining French

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

side Stade Clermontois BA in October. The side struggled despite Johnson contributing 15.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, with a relegation mathematically confirmed in April 2008, he moved to

Belgian League The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 Belgian First Division A, 2020 ...

side Spirou Charleroi that same month. He was a key factor in Charleroi's league title in 2008, contributing 9.5 points and 3 assists in 11 games, following which his contract was extended for two years. He was a crucial contributor to the Belgians run to the European second tier EuroCup Last 16 contributing 14.9 points (on 45.5% from the three point line) and 3.4 assists in 10 games. The

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

side would again win the league in 2009, adding the

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (french: link=no, Coupe de Belgique; nl, Beker van België []; german: link=no, Belgischer Fußballpokal) is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgia ...

as well. In October 2009 he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of for nearly two months, he only played two EuroCup games that season. The side would add a third consecutive league title in 2010. After the expiry of his contract, Johnson moved to Lithuanian league side

Lietuvos rytas ''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper. History and profile "Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also ...

also playing in the EuroLeague, Europe's elite competition, and the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...

. However, after playing a handful of games in the domestic league and United League, Johnson suffered a foot injury in October that sidelined him for more than a month. After playing a few more games for Lietuvos rytas (none in the EuroLeague), Johnson returned to the Turkish league in January 2011, signing with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

for the rest of the season. He contributed 11.6 points and 3.2 assists in 23 minutes per game as Galatasaray reached the championship finals, losing to Fenerbahçe despite his 19 points and 8 assists in the decisive game. He also played for Guaros de Lara in 2016, Turkish team

Büyükçekmece Basketbol Büyükçekmece Basketbol, mostly known as ONVO Büyükçekmece for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional basketball club based in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul which plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Their home arena is Gazanfer B ...

for the 2016-2017 season and spent the 2017-2018 season with Neptūnas, helping the depleted team win 3rd place in the Lithuanian league.

BC Astana

During the next off-season his agent secured him a contract, to play for newly formed

in both the Kazakhstan Basketball League and the VTB United League, he signed a one-year contract in June 2011. In his first year in

, the American won both the domestic league and

cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

, in the 2011–12 VTB United League Astana finished 7th of their group with a 7–9 record, he scored 14 points to help the side achieve their first victory in the league against Žalgiris. The now 30-year-old extended his contract for two years in the summer of 2012. The 2012–13 season proved a repeat domestically, with Astana again achieving a domestic double, with Johnson earning All-tournament team selections on both occasions. He was also an important contributor to the Kazakhstani side reaching the VTB United League playoffs in only its second participation in the league. The next season, Johnson had an injury scare in the second United League game of the season after hurting his back, however he came back the next game to pick up a Week MVP award. He posted 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 7.5 assists, leading the league in assists and being selected as one of the contenders for the season MVP award. Now captaining the squad, Johnson was a "driving force" for Astana, leading them to another playoff appearance and domestic double (again a First Team selection in both the Kazakhstan league and cup). In the 2014–15 season, the guard again led the United League in assists, earning another MVP nomination as he contributed 16.2 points and 8.3 assists. He was crucial in Astana's third consecutive playoff run, though they again stalled in the first round, heavily beaten by perennial champions

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

, with his 16 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in game 3 not enough. That season also marked the European debut of Astana, in the third tier 2014–15 EuroChallenge, he led his team to the Last 16 of the competition, with a Week 2 MVP performance of 29 points (7 for 9 in three-point shots) and 13 assists. He also was selected in the All-Final Four Team of the Kazakhstani league as Astana won its fourth consecutive title, though they did win the cup. In June 2015, Johnson renewed his contract until the end of the 2015–16 season.

National team career

After two years and as many national championships and cups in Kazakhstan, Johnson was offered Kazakhstani citizenship in 2013, in order to play for the senior Kazakhstan national team at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. He accepted the offer, becoming the first naturalised player for Kazakhstan, he was reunited with

head coach

Matteo Boniciolli Matteo Boniciolli (born 18 April 1962) is an Italian basketball coach of APU Udine in the Italian Serie A2. He has been a head coach since 1999, guiding several clubs in Italy and abroad to titles, also having taken charge of the Italian nati ...

on the side. Though he was bothered by niggles to the shoulder and hamstring, Johnson posted a team second 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team high 5 assists per game as Kazakhstan started the tournament with 3 wins before losing the rest of their games, including a 58-88 loss to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

which saw Johnson restricted to 8 points. "He hurt his right shoulder in a bumping accident during a practice game with the PBA team San Mig Coffee and there is pain when he goes up for a three-pointer," said Boniciolli. "Jerry's hamstring is also bothering him. That's why he didn't play against Iran. Our medical staff is working on him. We want him to be at a 100 percent." He was unable to represent Kazakhstan in the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

, as

Olympic Council of Asia The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current Acting President is Raja Randhir Singh, substituting Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah. The headquarter ...

rules required three years of residency.

Honours

Individual

Professional

* Kazakhstan League: All-League Team ( 2013, 2014), All-Final Four Team (

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

) *

Kazakhstan Cup The Kazakhstan Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Kazakhstan football, run by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The tournament was initially founded in 1936 as a competition for clubs in the Kazakh SSR ; kk, Қазақ Сове� ...

: All-Kazakhstan Cup Team 2013, 2014 *

VTB United League Hall of Fame The VTB United League Hall of Fame (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ Зал славы, VTBHOF) is a hall of fame that honours individuals that have made important contributions to the premiere professional basketball league in Russia, the ...

: 2019

College

* Rider University Broncs: Hall of Fame (inducted

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

), (Athlete of the Year (

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

) *All-

: First Team ( 2003, 2004, 2005), Third Team (

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

) *Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Rookie of the Year (

) * Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament: All-Tournament Team (

)

Team

Club

* Kazakhstan League: champion ( 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) *

: winner ( 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) *

: champion ( 2008, 2009, 2010) *

: winner (

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

)

References

External links