Johnson grew up in Dallas, Texas and attended Lake Highlands High School.[1] He averaged 23.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as a sophomore.[2] During his junior year, Johnson and Lake Highlands took part in the City of Palms Tournament, where he averaged 23 points per game.[3] At the end of the season, he led Wildcats to their first state championship since 1968 and scored 29 points in the team's 55–44 win in the state championship game against Beaumont United High School.[4] Johnson finished the season averaging 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and was named Texas Mr. Basketball.[5] After the end of the school year, he transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.[6] Johnson produced 15.5 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest while shooting nearly 40% from 3-point range and 90.5% from the free throw line during his senior year. Johnson led the Lions to a 26–7 record. Johnson was selected to play in the 2024 McDonald's All-American Boys Game during his senior year.[7]
Recruiting
Johnson was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[8] He was ranked the top overall recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals, and On3 throughout his junior year until he was surpassed by Dylan Harper during the summer of 2023.[9][10][11] On November 15, 2023, Johnson committed to playing college basketball for Texas after considering an offer from Baylor.[12]
At the beginning of the season, Johnson was named to the Jerry West Award watch list and Naismith College Player of the Year watch list. In his debut game against Ohio State, Johnson had 29 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. On February 26, 2025, Johnson broke Kevin Durant's freshman single-game program record by scoring 39 points in an overtime loss to Arkansas.[13] In a win that pushed Texas into the last four in of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament according to many bracketologists, Johnson scored a game-high 20 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in double overtime against the No. 14 Texas A&M in the second round of the 2025 SEC men's basketball tournament.[14][15] Johnson ended the season averaging 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 39.7% from the three.
Professional career
Johnson was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2025 NBA draft.[16] He made his professional debut on October 23, 2025 in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks, coming off the bench to register 16 points, including 4 of 8 three-point shots. It was the franchise's highest scoring debut by a rookie since 1992.[17]
Johnson's father, Richard Johnson Jr., played college basketball at Baylor before transferring to Midwestern State.[19] His father is also an assistant coach at Lake Highlands.[20] He has two younger brothers, Royce Johnson and Jamari Riley. Johnson is currently majoring in Physical Culture & Sports.
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