![]() Johnson with NC State in January 2020 | |
No. 0–Bnei Herzliya | |
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Position | Point guard |
League | Israeli Basketball Premier League |
Personal information | |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | August 25, 1998
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | East Tech (Cleveland, Ohio) |
College | NC State (2016–2020) |
NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
Playing career | 2020–present |
Career history | |
2020–2021 | Beşiktaş |
2021–2022 | Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys |
2022–2024 | BC Astana |
2024–2025 | Shenzhen Leopards |
2025–present | Bnei Herzliya |
Career highlights | |
|
Markell Davon Johnson (born August 25, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. A point guard, he played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack. He twice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists.
Johnson was born in Cleveland, Ohio. [1] His mother is Sabrina Johnson, his father who passed away in 2016 was Mark Thomas Sr., his older sister is named Markishia, and his older brother is named Mark. [2] [3] He is 6' 2". [4]
Johnson played basketball for four years at East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. As a freshman, he scored 27 points and made a game-winning jump shot with 3.1 seconds left in overtime against Lake High School to help his team reach its first state semifinal since 1972. [3] [5] He was considered one of the best freshman in Ohio. [6]
In his junior season in 2015–16, Johnson averaged 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game, leading East Tech to its third straight league title and a district semifinal appearance. He was named Cleveland.com Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Northeast Lakes Division II All-District Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP), and All-Ohio Player of the Year in Division 1. [3] [7] [8]
On May 2, 2016, Johnson decided to reclassify to the 2016 class and forgo his senior year. [9] On the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, he played for the King James Shooting Stars, a team affiliated with NBA player LeBron James. [10] Johnson was a consensus four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout, and a top-100 overall recruit by ESPN (48), 247Sports (58), and Scout (66). [3] He committed to play college basketball for NC State over offers from Louisville, Ohio State, Washington, and West Virginia, among others. [11]
As a freshman at NC State, Johnson served as a backup to Dennis Smith Jr., who enrolled a year earlier than expected. As a sophomore he averaged 8.9 points and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 7.3 assists per game (5th in the NCAA). [12] [13] On December 19, 2018, Johnson set career-highs with 27 points and five three-pointers in a 78–71 upset of seventh-ranked Auburn. [14] He averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 assists (leading the ACC), 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals (5th) per game. [3] He was named ACC Honorable Mention. [3]
He missed three games as a junior with a back injury. [15] As a junior Johnson averaged 12.6 points and 4.2 assists (6th in the ACC) per game, shooting 42.2 percent (4th) from behind the arc. [3] After the season he declared for the 2019 NBA draft, but ultimately returned to NC State. [16]
He injured his ankle in practice and missed the first game of his senior season, an overtime loss to Georgia Tech. [17] Johnson hit a halfcourt buzzer beater to defeat UNC Greensboro 80–77 on December 15, 2019. [18] On December 22, Johnson recorded a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 83–63 win over The Citadel. He became the third NC State player to ever achieve the feat, joining Dennis Smith Jr. and Julius Hodge. [19] He was named ACC player of the week on December 23. [20] Johnson scored a career-high 28 points and made a halfcourt shot in a 88–66 upset of sixth-ranked Duke on February 19, 2020. [21] At the conclusion of the regular season, Johnson was selected to the Second Team All-ACC. [22] As a senior, Johnson led the ACC in assists per game (6.8; 8th in the NCAA) for the second time in his career, while also averaging 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals (3rd) per game. [12] [23] [3]
On August 6, 2020, Johnson signed a two-year contract with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL). [24] In 2020–21 he averaged 7.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. [25]
In October 2021, he signed with Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys of the Lithuanian Basketball League. [26] Johnson averaged 12.0 points, 4.3 assists (7th in the league), and 1.4 steals (10th) per game, while shooting 42.1% from three point range (9th). [27]
On July 5, 2022, Johnson signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). [28] On August 23, 2022, he was released by the club, as he failed his medical. [29]
On November 19, 2022, Johnson signed with BC Astana of the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship. [30] In 2022–23, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 assists (8th in the league), and 1.8 steals (4th) per game. [31] On July 20, 2023, he came back to BC Astana. [32] In 2023–24, he averaged 16.5 points (8th in the league), 7.2 assists (2nd), and 2.2 steals (leading the league) per game, while shooting 80.0% from the free throw line. [33] On July 7, 2024, he re-signed with BC Astana. [34] On November 4, he left BC Astana. [35]
On November 13, 2024, he signed with Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association. [36] Johnson averaged 17.1 points, 7.7 assists (6th in the league), and 2.0 steals (8th) per game while shooting 80.4% from the free throw line. [37]
On April 1, 2025, Johnson signed with Bnei Herzliya of the Israel Basketball Premier League, for whom he plays point guard. [38] [4]
GP | Games 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 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016–17 | NC State | 30 | 3 | 20.4 | .377 | .250 | .577 | 1.6 | 2.3 | .9 | .3 | 4.0 |
2017–18 | NC State | 26 | 24 | 29.1 | .460 | .409 | .609 | 3.4 | 7.3 | 1.7 | .2 | 8.9 |
2018–19 | NC State | 33 | 30 | 25.3 | .488 | .422 | .747 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.6 |
2019–20 | NC State | 31 | 30 | 34.1 | .405 | .267 | .606 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 1.9 | .3 | 12.8 |
Career | 120 | 87 | 27.2 | .437 | .344 | .646 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 1.4 | .3 | 9.7 |