Wesley JaMarr Johnson (born July 11, 1987) 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 ...

coach and former player who is a player development assistant for 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 ...

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 for

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

by 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 ...

High school career

In high school, he averaged 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks as a senior at

Corsicana High School Corsicana Independent School District is a public school district based in Corsicana, Texas, United States. In addition to Corsicana, the district serves the central Navarro County towns of Angus, Mustang, Oak Valley, Retreat, and Richland. ...

. He was a first-team all-district pick in 2004 and 2005. He also played for the Dallas Mustangs AAU team.

College career

As a freshman at Iowa State, Johnson was named to the Big 12 all-Rookie team and earned honorable mention freshman All-America honors after averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, starting 30 of 31 games. Johnson's highlights from his freshman year included 14 points and 13 rebounds in win against Missouri, including the game-winner on a tip-in with 1.6 seconds left. He also scored 17 points at No. 10

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. Johnson missed five games and played with an injured ankle throughout the majority of the season. He still was named an honorable mention all-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

selection after averaging 12.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Johnson scored 20 points behind a 5-of-11 effort from 3-point range against eventual NCAA Champion

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. Johnson made the decision to transfer following the 2008 season, and selected

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

. Per NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the 2008–09 season, leaving him with two years of college eligibility. Johnson became a starter for the Orange in his first year with the team. In November 2009 he was named MVP of the 2K Coaches Classic after scoring 25 points in a Syracuse victory over the No. 6

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 ...

. Johnson would score 17 points and grab 10 rebounds as Syracuse knocked off then-No. 10 Florida on December 10, 2009. In his first game of Big East play, Johnson scored 20 points and grabbed a career high 19 rebounds as Syracuse defeated Seton Hall 80–73 on December 29, 2009. Johnson was named Big East Player of the Year on March 9, 2010, finishing with season averages of 16.0 points and 8.4 rebounds. On March 29, 2010, Johnson was named a First Team AP All American. On April 12, 2010, Johnson declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility. He signed with sports agent

Rob Pelinka Robert Todd Pelinka Jr. (born December 23, 1969) is an American basketball executive, lawyer, sports agent, and former college basketball player from Lake Bluff, Illinois (suburban Chicago). Pelinka is currently the vice president of basketball ...

Professional career

Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2012)

Johnson was drafted by the

with the 4th pick in the

. On March 18, 2011, Johnson scored a career-high 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in a loss 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 ...

Phoenix Suns (2012–2013)

On July 27, 2012, Johnson was traded to 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 ...

in a three-team deal. In his first game with the Suns, Johnson scored a three-pointer in a close victory against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. Johnson would not gain significant playing time with the Suns until

Lindsey Hunter Lindsey Benson Hunter Jr. (born December 3, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with the Detroit Pistons. He ...

took over as head coach for the team. On February 26, 2013, Johnson recorded 14 points, along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in an 84–83 victory against his former team, the

. A day later, Johnson made a game-tying three-pointer from a long pass by

Jermaine O'Neal Jermaine Lee O'Neal Sr. (born October 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. The center– power forward had a successful high school career and declared his eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft straight out of high s ...

that helped the Suns win 105–101 in overtime against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. On March 1, 2013, Johnson scored a season high 15 points and added six rebounds and two steals in a 92–87 victory against the

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

Los Angeles Lakers (2013–2015)

On July 15, 2013, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the

. In his first season with the Lakers, Johnson averaged career highs in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. He was one of only eight players in the league to average at least 1 block and 1 steal per game, and the only perimeter player to do so. He had four games where he scored 20 or more points, the most since his rookie season. On November 29, 2013, Johnson recorded 27 points, along with 6 rebounds and 3 blocks, in a 106–102 victory against the

. He tallied four

double-doubles In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

over the course of the season, a career high. On July 28, 2014, Johnson re-signed with the Lakers on a one-year deal.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2018)

On July 9, 2015, Johnson signed a one-year deal with the

. He made his debut for the Clippers in the team's season opener against the Sacramento Kings on October 28, recording 3 points and 1 steal in a 111–104 win. On July 8, 2016, Johnson re-signed with the Clippers.

New Orleans Pelicans (2018–2019)

On October 15, 2018, Johnson was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for Alexis Ajinça.

Washington Wizards (2019)

On February 7, 2019, Johnson was traded to 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 ...

in exchange for

Markieff Morris Markieff Morris (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted 13th overall i ...

and a 2023 second-round pick. On April 5, 2019, Johnson was waived by the Wizards.

Panathinaikos (2019–2020)

On July 22, 2019, Johnson signed a one-year deal with

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

and the EuroLeague. In his first career game with Panathinaikos, Johnson scored 7 points in 19 minutes of playing time against AEK Athens.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 79 , , 63 , , 26.2 , , .397 , , .356 , , .696 , , 3.0 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .7 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 64 , , 22.6 , , .398 , , .314 , , .706 , , 2.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , .7 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 50 , , 21 , , 19.1 , , .407 , , .323 , , .771 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .4 , , .4 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. 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 ...

, 79 , , 62 , , 28.4 , , .425 , , .369 , , .792 , , 4.4 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 59 , , 29.5, , .414 , , .351 , , .804, , 4.2 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .6 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 9 , , 20.8 , , .404 , , .333 , , .652 , , 3.1 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 68 , , 3 , , 11.9 , , .365 , , .246 , , .647 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 74 , , 40 , , 20.1 , , .408 , , .339 , , .741 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 26 , , 13 , , 14.5 , , .398 , , .380 , , .667 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 12 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .250 , , .231 , , .700 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 609 , , 334 , , 22.1 , , .404 , , .337 , , .741 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .7 , , 7.0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 6 , , 0 , , 12.8 , , .357 , , .333 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .2 , , .7 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 3 , , 0 , , 3.6 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , .7 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 9 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .357 , , .333 , , .800 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", Iowa State , 31 , , 30 , , 31.7 , , .445 , , .294 , , .753 , , 7.9 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Iowa State , 27 , , 25 , , 27.0 , , .396 , , .333 , , .779 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .4 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 35.0 , , .502 , , .415 , , .772 , , 8.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.8 , , 16.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 93 , , 90 , , 31.6 , , .454 , , .349 , , .768 , , 7.0 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 13.9

References

External links

Syracuse Orange bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Wesley 1987 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles Lakers players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks Minnesota Timberwolves players New Orleans Pelicans players Panathinaikos B.C. players People from Corsicana, Texas Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards Small forwards Syracuse Orange men's basketball players Washington Wizards players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people