Amir Jalla Johnson (born May 1, 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 ...

player who last played for the

NBA G League Ignite The NBA G League Ignite is a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League. Based in Henderson, Nevada, the team was designed to play exhibition games outside the G League's traditional scheduling as part of a one-year development program for e ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

. He has previously played for 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 L ...

, the team that selected Johnson in the second round of the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fr ...

, as well as the

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 ...

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 ...

and

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

Early life

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, Johnson grew up mainly in

South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

, but also spent time as a child in

Harbor City Harbor City is a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, with a population upward of 36,000 people. Originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, the Harbor City was brought into Los Angeles as ...

and

Watts Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power. Watts may also refer to: People * Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters *Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful'' * Watts family, six cha ...

. Despite being tall and athletic, Johnson struggled to find a place on a high school basketball team. His freshman year was split at two schools (Pacific Hills, Narbonne), neither of which featured him on the court. From there, he enrolled at Verbum Dei High School, where he enjoyed a solid inaugural season of high school basketball as a sophomore in 2002–03. He then transferred to Westchester High School but was forced to sit out his junior year of 2003–04. He made up for lost time as a senior in 2004–05 as he was named the 2005

California Mr. Basketball Each year the California Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of California. Many have gone on to play in the NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a p ...

after leading Westchester to a state title. He was subsequently named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburger s ...

and appeared in the 2005 Boys Game. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Johnson was listed as the No. 7 power forward and the No. 29 player in the nation in 2005. Despite committing to play for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one ...

, Johnson decided to skip college and declared for NBA draft.

Professional career

Detroit Pistons (2005–2009)

Johnson was selected by the

with the 56th overall pick in the

. He is the last direct from high school player to be selected in the NBA draft (until 2015 with

Satnam Singh Bhamara Satnam Singh Bhamara ( pa, ਸਤਨਾਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਭੰਮਰਾ; born 10 December 1995) is an Indian professional wrestler and former basketball player, currently signed to the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestli ...

), as the NBA instituted a rule prior to the 2006 draft that requires American players to be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class to be eligible. As a rookie for the Pistons, Johnson appeared in just three games during the 2005–06 season. He scored his first NBA basket on a windmill dunk against 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 ...

on January 24, 2006. On February 27, 2006, he was assigned to the Fayetteville Patriots of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. After appearing in 18 games for the Patriots, he was recalled by the Pistons on April 17, 2006. That same day, he scored 18 points for the Pistons in their 20-point loss 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 196 ...

, making all six of his

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

attempts, both three-point attempts, and all four of his

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

attempts. Johnson spent most of the 2006–07 season playing for the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

of the NBA Development League, where he earned Player of the Week honors for his play. In 22 games for the Skyforce, Johnson averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.1 blocks per game, while shooting 62.3% from the field. Despite his strong D-League play, Johnson managed just eight games for the Pistons in 2006–07, averaging 5.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. On July 12, 2007, Johnson re-signed with the Pistons to a three-year, $12 million contract. Over the next two seasons, Johnson played a total of 124 games for the Pistons as he became a valuable asset off the bench. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 2007–08, and 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 2008–09. He also averaged 1.1 blocks per game over the two seasons.Amir Johnson NBA & ABA Stats
/ref>

Toronto Raptors (2009–2015)

On June 23, 2009, Johnson was traded to the

in a three three-team trade that also involved 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 Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

and

Richard Jefferson Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. (born June 21, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on ESPN. He played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats. Jefferson was drafted in the first round of the 20 ...

. He was later traded to the

on August 18, 2009, along with

Sonny Weems Clarence "Sonny" Weems (born July 8, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanxi Loongs of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkans ...

, in exchange for

Carlos Delfino Carlos Francisco Delfino (born August 29, 1982) is an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He holds dual citizenship in both Italy and Argentina. Standing at , he ...

and

Roko Ukić Roko Leni Ukić (born December 5, 1984) is a Croatian professional basketball player currently playing for Split in the Croatian League and ABA League. Standing at , he mainly played at the point guard position, but could also play at the shoo ...

. On July 8, 2010, Johnson re-signed with the Raptors to a five-year, $34 million contract. Johnson had a career-best season in 2012–13 as he averaged career-highs in minutes played (28.7 mpg), points (10.0 ppg), rebounds (7.5 rpg), assists (1.5 apg) and steals (1.0 spg). With his continued rise in dominance and overall production, Johnson began to embrace the city of Toronto, quoting that "Toronto is part of me. I've been around, the people are very kind, I love it here."Raptors' Amir Johnson says he's in love with Toronto
/ref> On December 8, 2013, Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in a 106–94 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boston Celtics (2015–2017)

On July 9, 2015, Johnson signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the

. He made his debut for the Celtics in the team's season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 28, recording 15 points and 7 rebounds off the bench in a 112–95 win. On January 13, 2016, he recorded 14 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in a 103–94 win over the Indiana Pacers. On March 20, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 120–105 win over the

. He finished the 2015–16 season with averages of 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. On November 2, 2016, Johnson scored 23 points and hit a career-high four three-pointers in a 107–100 win over the

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

Philadelphia 76ers (2017–2019)

On July 8, 2017, Johnson signed with the

. On June 25, 2018, he was named the winner of the NBA Hustle Award during the 2018 NBA Awards. On July 16, 2018, Johnson re-signed with the 76ers. On February 22, 2019, he volunteered to play for the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was found ...

of the

because he had not appeared in a game for the 76ers since January 26. On April 13, 2019, during a nationally televised playoff game between Philadelphia and the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

, Johnson was caught by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

cameras sitting on the bench during the game taking a cell phone out of his pocket to show teammate

Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who also holds French and American citizenship. After one year of college basketb ...

a text message, while the Sixers were trailing by ten points. Moments later, Johnson was removed from the bench and returned to the locker room. Johnson was not active for the game. At the post game press conference, Embiid stated that Johnson's daughter was very ill and he just looked at the message. After the game, Johnson issued an apology through a statement and was fined an undisclosed amount by the 76ers for violating the NBA's rule against cell phones on the bench. Johnson did not re-sign with the team following the season.

NBA G League Ignite (2020–2022)

On November 12, 2020, Johnson was announced as addition to the

. His spot on the roster was confirmed on February 1, 2021. On October 28, 2021, Johnson re-signed with the Ignite.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

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, 8 , , 0 , , 15.5 , , .545 , , .000 , , .786 , , 4.6 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.6 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .558 , , – , , .673 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 24 , , 14.7 , , .595 , , – , , .657 , , 3.7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 82 , , 5 , , 17.7 , , .623 , , .000 , , .638 , , 4.8 , , .6 , , .5 , , .8 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 54 , , 25.7 , , .568 , , .000 , , .787 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 43 , , 24.3 , , .576 , , .400 , , .690 , , 6.4 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 38 , , 28.7 , , .554 , , .385 , , .727 , , 7.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.4 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 72 , , 28.8 , , .562 , , .303 , , .636 , , 6.6 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 72 , , 26.4 , , .574 , , .413 , , .612 , , 6.1 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .8 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 79 , , 76 , , 22.8 , , .585 , , .233 , , .570 , , 6.4 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 77 , , 20.1 , , .576 , , .409 , , .670 , , 4.6 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .8 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, 74 , , 18 , , 15.8 , , .538 , , .313 , , .612 , , 4.5 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .6 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 51 , , 6 , , 10.4 , , .503 , , .300 , , .756 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 870 , , 485 , , 21.1 , , .570 , , .332 , , .673 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 7.0

Playoffs

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

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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, 8 , , 0 , , 5.4 , , .750 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , .0 , , .4 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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; Protests ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , 1.000 , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

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, 7 , , 7 , , 27.3 , , .654 , , .000 , , .750 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .6 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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 April ...

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, 4 , , 2 , , 28.0 , , .690 , , .000 , , .500 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .8 , , 11.5 , - , 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 of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

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, 6 , , 6 , , 22.3 , , .667 , , .000 , , .778 , , 7.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 1.3 , , 8.5 , - , 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 s ...

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, 14 , , 9 , , 10.1 , , .500 , , .333 , , .625 , , 2.1 , , .2 , , .3 , , .4 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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

, 8 , , 1 , , 11.8 , , .524 , , – , , .800 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

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

, 4 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , 1.000, , – , , – , , 1.3 , , .5, , .3 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 54 , , 25 , , 13.9 , , .637 , , .111 , , .654 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , .5 , , 4.9

Personal life

Johnson grew up in an athletic family. His sister, Indi, played forward for

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

's women's basketball team, while his cousins,

Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...

and Kaelin Burnett, both played linebacker in the NFL.This Is Amir Johnson: The Biography
/ref> Johnson is highly involved in community work, and regularly hosts back to school programs, visits local hospitals and pays for low income youth to attend games. He is also known for his random acts of kindness. Shortly after the release of

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

's ''

Nothing Was the Same ''Nothing Was the Same'' is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 24, 2013, through OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. Work on the record began in 2012 and ...

'' album, Johnson bought all the copies from two local stores and handed them out to random pedestrians in Toronto.

References

External links

NBA G League profileOfficial website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Amir 1987 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Big3 players Boston Celtics players Delaware Blue Coats players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Fayetteville Patriots players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association high school draftees NBA G League Ignite players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Sioux Falls Skyforce players Toronto Raptors players Westchester High School (Los Angeles) alumni Verbum Dei High School alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players