Keon Johnson (basketball, born 2002)

Last updated

Keon Johnson
No. 45–Brooklyn Nets
Position Shooting guard / point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (2002-03-10) March 10, 2002 (age 22)
Shelbyville, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school The Webb School
(Bell Buckle, Tennessee)
College Tennessee (2020–2021)
NBA draft 2021: 1st round, 21st overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022 Los Angeles Clippers
2021–2022 →Agua Caliente Clippers
2022–2023 Portland Trail Blazers
2023–present Brooklyn Nets
2023–present→Long Island Nets
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Christopher Keon Johnson is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Contents

Early life and high school career

Two months before beginning high school, Johnson suffered open fractures in four of his fingers, was thrown about 10 feet and lost consciousness in a fireworks accident. He underwent surgery to repair blood vessels in his hand and avoid amputation, and he underwent eight weeks of intensive physical therapy. [1] [2]

Johnson played high school basketball for The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. In his sophomore season, he averaged 25.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, earning Division II-A Tennessee Mr. Basketball honors. [3] As a junior, Johnson averaged 25.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, leading his team to the Division II-A state semifinals. He repeated as Division II-A Tennessee Mr. Basketball. [4] [5] Early in his senior season, Johnson suffered a season-ending meniscus injury. In four games, he averaged 30.5 points with 10.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. [6]

Recruiting

On August 6, 2019, Johnson committed to play college basketball for Tennessee over offers from Ohio State and Virginia, among others. [7] By the end of his high school career, Johnson was rated by major recruiting services as a consensus five-star recruit and the highest ranked player in Tennessee in the 2020 class. He became the first top-ranked in-state prospect to commit to Tennessee since Robert Hubbs III in 2013. [8]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Keon Johnson
SG 		Shelbyville, TN The Webb School (TN)6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg)Aug 9, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A    Rivals: 5 stars.svg     247Sports: 5 stars.svg     ESPN: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 18   247Sports: 17   ESPN: 28
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Tennessee 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  • "2020 Tennessee Volunteers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.

College career

On February 6, 2021, Johnson scored a career-high 27 points in an 82–71 win over Kentucky. [9] As a freshman, he averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and was named to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team. On April 7, 2021, Johnson declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his college eligibility. [10] At the NBA Draft Combine, he recorded the highest maximum vertical leap in combine history, at 48 inches. [11]

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2021–2022)

Johnson was selected with the 21st pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Quentin Grimes and draft considerations. [12] On August 6, 2021, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Clippers. [13] In his rookie year, Johnson played in only 15 games for the Clippers. [14]

Portland Trail Blazers (2022–2023)

On February 4, 2022, Johnson was traded, alongside Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, and a 2025 second-round pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. [15] Johnson made his Trail Blazers debut on February 24, recording four points and four rebounds in a 132–95 loss to the Golden State Warriors. [16] On April 1, he scored a career-high 20 points, alongside three assists, in a 130–111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. [17] The Trail Blazers ultimately finished the season with a 27–55 record and did not qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Johnson played for the Trail Blazers during the 2022 NBA Summer League. He averaged 14.2 points per game en route to the team's second Las Vegas Summer League championship in franchise history. [18] On March 27, 2023, he tied his career high of 20 points, alongside three rebounds and six assists, in a 124–90 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. [19] Two days later, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups announced that Johnson had suffered a broken finger during a practice and would be out indefinitely. [20]

On September 27, 2023, Johnson, alongside Grayson Allen, Jusuf Nurkić, and Nassir Little was traded to the Phoenix Suns as part of a three-team trade that sent Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Deandre Ayton, and a 2029 first-round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers. [21] The Suns later waived him on October 23 ahead of the 2023–24 regular season roster cut deadline. [22]

Brooklyn Nets (2023–present)

On November 1, 2023, Johnson signed a two-way contract with the Brooklyn Nets. [23]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2021–22 L.A. Clippers 1509.0.333.273.7621.4.9.5.13.5
2021–22 Portland 221225.5.357.348.8332.72.91.0.59.7
2022–23 Portland 40010.4.376.346.6591.11.5.5.24.7
2023–24 Brooklyn 5012.3.381.400.9171.4.6.6.26.2
Career821214.3.363.346.7601.61.7.6.25.9

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2020–21 Tennessee 271725.5.449.271.7033.52.51.1.411.3

Personal life

Johnson's mother, Conswella Sparrow Johnson, was a two-time Class AAA Tennessee Miss Basketball winner in high school and played college basketball for Auburn, where she was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolas Batum</span> French basketball player (born 1988)

Nicolas Batum is a French professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He is also a member of the French national team and earned a silver medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeAndre Jordan</span> American basketball player (born 1988)

Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.

The 1990–91 NBA season was the 23rd season for the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association. Head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was replaced by his former assistant K. C. Jones, and went on to occupy the desk of vice-president of Basketball Operations for Seattle, resigning months later to accept a job as General Manager of the Denver Nuggets. The Draft Lottery gave the SuperSonics the No. 2 pick, which was used to select future All-Star point guard Gary Payton out of Oregon State in the 1990 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Favors</span> American basketball player (born 1991)

Derrick Bernard Favors is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. Favors played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season before being selected by the New Jersey Nets with the third overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bledsoe</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Eric Bledsoe is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He plays the point guard position. After a season of college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats, he was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Bledsoe had a four-year tenure with the Phoenix Suns between 2013 and 2017, before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason Plumlee</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Mason Alexander Plumlee is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays the forward and center positions. As a freshman in 2009–10, he was a back-up forward for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team's national championship team, playing with his older brother Miles. He was a 2009 McDonald's All-American in high school. During his senior year at Duke, he also played with his younger brother Marshall. He was selected with the 22nd overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 NBA draft. Plumlee was also a member of the United States national team that won a gold medal in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armon Johnson</span> American basketball player

Armon Deshawn Johnson is an American former professional basketball player who played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Trail Blazers draft history</span>

The Portland Trail Blazers are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise was founded in the 1970–71 NBA season. The team made their first draft pick in the 1970 NBA draft and have selected 279 players total. The franchise won its only NBA championship in 1977, when the team was led by their 1974 first overall pick, Bill Walton, as well as multiple other former draft picks who went on to have their numbers retired by Portland. Many of the players selected have gone on to have accomplished careers while playing for the team. Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard hold multiple Blazer records and are first in many stats. Along with Walton and Drexler, two other draft picks, Dražen Petrović and Arvydas Sabonis, went on to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after their playing careers ended, with Petrović being inducted posthumously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jusuf Nurkić</span> Bosnian basketball player (born 1994)

Jusuf Nurkić is a Bosnian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 7-foot (2.1 m) center was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He also internationally represents the Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team. He has also played for the Denver Nuggets and the Portland Trail Blazers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Vonleh</span> American basketball player (born 1995)

Noah Vonleh is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Covington</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Robert Covington is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers and in 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justise Winslow</span> American basketball player (born 1996)

Justise Jon Winslow is an American professional basketball player for Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, with whom he won the 2015 NCAA championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenyen Gabriel</span> South Sudanese-American basketball player (born 1997)

Wenyen Gabriel is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for the Vaqueros de Bayamón of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, after being a 5-star prospect in 2016, ranked as high as #14 on ESPN's Top 100. Gabriel has also played in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deandre Ayton</span> Bahamian basketball player (born 1998)

Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2017 and a McDonald's All-American, he played one season of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, where he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Ayton was selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2019. In 2021, he helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Knox II</span> American basketball player (born 1999)

Kevin Devon Knox II is an American professional basketball player for the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. Knox was selected ninth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2018 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anfernee Simons</span> American basketball player

Anfernee Tyrik Simons is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played prep basketball for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He became the first American to enter and be selected in an NBA draft directly after graduating from high school since the league first implemented age restriction rules in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moses Brown (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Moses Shirief-Lamar Brown is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickeil Alexander-Walker</span> Canadian basketball player (born 1998)

Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A shooting guard, he was drafted 17th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft but was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trendon Watford</span> American basketball player

Trendon Nelson Watford is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Perry (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 2000)

Reginald Jordan Perry is an American professional basketball player for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

References

  1. ↑ Humphrey, Nancy (June 10, 2019). "Game On". Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  2. ↑ Kreager, Tom (February 13, 2019). "How top prospect Keon Johnson, wanted by UT Vols and others, almost ended his career before it began". The Tennessean . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ "2017-18 ALL-USA Tennessee Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 16, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ Kreager, Tom (March 1, 2019). "Keon Johnson, Tennessee's top 2020 basketball prospect, plays with edge, even if that means technicals". The Tennessean . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ Kreager, Tom (March 5, 2019). "James Wiseman, top college basketball prospect in country, wins first Mr. Basketball honor". The Tennessean . Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ Kreager, Tom (December 17, 2019). "Tennessee basketball signee Keon Johnson injures knee, expected back before postseason". The Tennessean . Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Big in-state recruit Keon Johnson commits to Tennessee". WVLT-TV. August 6, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Mike (November 13, 2019). "Tennessee basketball signs three prominent recruits Wednesday". Knoxville News Sentinel . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Johnson, Springer rally No. 11 Tennessee past Kentucky 82-71". ESPN . Associated Press. February 6, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  10. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (April 7, 2021). "Tennessee Vols' Keon Johnson to declare for NBA draft". ESPN . Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  11. ↑ Taylor, Cody (June 24, 2021). "Keon Johnson shatters combine record with historic max vertical jump". Rookie Wire. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ Wilson, Mike (July 29, 2021). "Tennessee basketball's Keon Johnson picked No. 21 by New York Knicks in 2021 NBA Draft". Knoxville News-Sentinel . Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Clippers Sign Keon Johnson To Rookie Contract". Hoops Rumors. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Keon Johnson Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Trail Blazers Acquire Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson and Justise Winslow". NBA.com. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (February 25, 2022). "CURRY, WARRIORS RETURN FROM ALL-STAR BREAK TO ROUT BLAZERS". NBA.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  17. ↑ Dominguez, Raul (April 1, 2022). "SPURS MAINTAIN 10TH PLACE IN WEST WITH BIG WIN OVER BLAZERS". NBA.com. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  18. ↑ Fentress, Aaron (July 21, 2022). "Portland Trail Blazers summer league review". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (March 28, 2023). "INGRAM SCORES 29 AS PELICANS ROUT TRAIL BLAZERS 124-90". NBA.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Trail Blazers' Keon Johnson: Suffers broken finger". CBSSports.com. March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  21. ↑ "SUNS ACQUIRE NURKIĆ, ALLEN, LITTLE, JOHNSON". NBA.com. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Suns waive Keon Johnson, Bol Bol makes opening night roster". ArizonaSports.com. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Brooklyn Nets Sign Keon Johnson to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  24. ↑ Kreager, Tom (February 13, 2018). "Webb's Keon Johnson dominates on court like mom did". The Tennessean . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.