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James Johnson (basketball, born 1987) facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
James Johnson
James Johnson (51875108419) (cropped).jpg
Johnson with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022
Free agent
Power forward / small forward
Personal information
Born (1987-02-20) February 20, 1987 (age 38)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
High school Cheyenne East (Cheyenne, Wyoming)
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College Wake Forest (2007–2009)
NBA Draft 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career 2009–present
Career history
2009–2011 Chicago Bulls
2011 Iowa Energy
2011–2012 Toronto Raptors
2012–2013 Sacramento Kings
2013 Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2013–2014 Memphis Grizzlies
2014–2016 Toronto Raptors
2016–2020 Miami Heat
2020 Minnesota Timberwolves
2020–2021 Dallas Mavericks
2021 New Orleans Pelicans
2021–2022 Brooklyn Nets
2022–2025 Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Third-team All-ACC (2008, 2009)
  • ACC All-Freshman team (2008)

James Patrick Johnson (born February 20, 1987) is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). James was a starting player for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons college team from 2007 to 2009. The Chicago Bulls picked him 16th overall in the 2009 NBA draft.

High School Basketball Days

James Johnson went to Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In his final year, he scored about 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds per game. James and his brother, Scott, also played wide receiver on the school's football team. Experts thought James was a top player in 2007.

College Career Highlights

Starting Strong at Wake Forest

James joined Wake Forest as a freshman in 2007–08. He quickly made a big impact. He earned third-team All-ACC honors in his first year. He also finished second for the 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year award. James led his team in scoring and rebounding that season.

Leading the Demon Deacons

As a sophomore, James again led the team in rebounding. He helped Wake Forest achieve a great 24–5 record. The team even reached the #1 ranking during the 2008–09 season. He was named third team All-ACC once more. After this successful season, James decided to enter the 2009 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2009–2011)

The Chicago Bulls chose James Johnson as the 16th pick in the 2009 NBA draft. He signed his first professional contract with the Bulls on July 8, 2009. During his time with the Bulls, he also played briefly for the Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League.

Joining the Toronto Raptors (2011–2012)

On February 22, 2011, James was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He played for them for about a year.

Time with the Sacramento Kings (2012–2013)

James moved to the Sacramento Kings on July 16, 2012. A memorable moment happened on December 28, 2012. James made a game-winning three-pointer right at the end of the game. This shot gave the Kings a 106–105 victory over the New York Knicks.

Playing in the NBA D-League (2013)

After a short time with the Atlanta Hawks, James joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in November 2013. In 10 games, he played very well. He averaged 18.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

With the Memphis Grizzlies (2013–2014)

On December 16, 2013, James signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. He played for them for the rest of that season.

Second Time with the Toronto Raptors (2014–2016)

James returned to the Toronto Raptors on July 17, 2014. During a game in December 2014, he made an exciting dunk over an opponent. After the play, James famously said, "That was nasty, right? I cocked that joint back and banged on him!" This quote became very popular with Raptors fans. On February 21, 2015, James scored a career-high 27 points in a game against the Houston Rockets.

Years with the Miami Heat (2016–2020)

On July 10, 2016, James signed with the Miami Heat. He quickly became an important player for them. On February 10, 2017, he scored 26 points, helping the Heat win their 13th game in a row. He had another great game on April 5, 2017, scoring 26 points with excellent three-point shooting. James re-signed with the Heat in July 2017. He scored a career-high 31 points in a double-overtime win on March 19, 2018.

Moving to Minnesota (2020)

On February 6, 2020, James was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team trade.

Short Stints with Dallas and New Orleans (2020–2021)

James was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in November 2020. He then moved to the New Orleans Pelicans in March 2021.

Playing for the Brooklyn Nets (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, James signed a one-year contract with the Brooklyn Nets. He scored a season-high 19 points in a game on March 1, 2022. The Nets later waived him on April 7, 2022.

Time with the Indiana Pacers (2022–2025)

James Johnson signed with the Indiana Pacers on September 16, 2022. He rejoined his former coach, Rick Carlisle. He was waived by the Pacers in February 2023 but re-signed with them a few days later. On December 15, 2023, James re-signed with the Pacers again. He was waived in January 2024 as part of a trade for Pascal Siakam. However, he signed two 10-day contracts and then signed for the rest of the season. James re-signed with the Pacers on July 25, 2024.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Chicago 65 11 11.6 .452 .326 .729 2.0 .7 .3 .7 3.9
2010–11 Chicago 13 0 9.4 .415 .222 .462 1.8 1.1 .6 .7 3.2
Toronto 25 25 27.9 .464 .240 .707 4.7 3.0 1.0 1.1 9.2
2011–12 Toronto 62 40 25.2 .450 .317 .704 4.7 2.0 1.1 1.4 9.1
2012–13 Sacramento 54 11 16.3 .413 .095 .597 2.7 1.1 .8 .9 5.1
2013–14 Memphis 52 4 18.4 .464 .253 .844 3.2 2.1 .8 1.1 7.4
2014–15 Toronto 70 17 19.6 .589 .216 .657 3.7 1.4 .8 1.0 7.9
2015–16 Toronto 57 32 16.2 .475 .303 .574 2.2 1.2 .5 .6 5.0
2016–17 Miami 76 5 27.4 .479 .341 .707 4.9 3.6 1.0 1.1 12.8
2017–18 Miami 73 41 26.6 .503 .308 .698 4.9 3.8 1.0 .7 10.8
2018–19 Miami 55 33 21.2 .433 .336 .714 3.2 2.5 .6 .5 7.8
2019–20 Miami 18 0 15.6 .448 .356 .571 2.9 1.2 .3 .7 5.7
Minnesota 14 1 24.2 .500 .370 .676 4.7 3.8 1.4 1.4 12.0
2020–21 Dallas 29 1 17.4 .462 .250 .586 3.0 1.7 .8 .8 5.7
New Orleans 22 11 24.5 .434 .267 .596 4.1 2.2 .8 .9 9.2
2021–22 Brooklyn 62 10 19.2 .469 .271 .527 3.5 2.1 .5 .5 5.5
2022–23 Indiana 18 1 9.0 .449 .200 .500 1.7 .8 .4 .3 2.8
2023–24 Indiana 9 0 5.2 .300 .000 1.000 .4 .9 .6 .1 .9
2024–25 Indiana 12 0 3.1 .364 .000 .000 .5 .3 .0 .2 .7
Career 786 243 19.8 .473 .300 .678 3.5 2.0 .7 .8 7.4

NBA Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Chicago 4 0 5.0 .000 .000 .3 .3 .0 .0 .0
2014 Memphis 3 0 9.3 .333 .400 .700 2.0 .0 .3 .0 6.3
2015 Toronto 2 0 6.0 .333 .000 1.0 .5 .0 .0 2.0
2016 Toronto 10 0 9.8 .480 .444 .667 1.5 .6 .3 .0 3.0
2018 Miami 5 5 32.1 .548 .538 .643 6.0 4.8 1.2 1.2 12.4
2024 Indiana 1 0 1.0 .500 .0 .0 .0 .0 1.0
2025 Indiana 5 0 3.6 .600 .000 .500 .2 .4 .4 .4 1.4
Career 30 5 11.3 .474 .448 .541 1.8 1.1 .4 .3 4.1

College Statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Wake Forest 30 28 29.2 .487 .280 .689 8.1 1.2 1.4 1.3 14.6
2008–09 Wake Forest 31 31 30.5 .542 .319 .697 8.5 2.0 1.4 1.5 15.0
Career 61 59 29.9 .515 .296 .693 8.3 1.6 1.4 1.4 14.8

About James Johnson

James Johnson has both African-American and Samoan family roots. He is also a black belt in karate. He has mentioned that he has a record of 20–0 in kickboxing and has also competed in MMA. However, these claims have not been officially confirmed. James has a tattoo of his son's name, "Naymin," on his neck.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: James Johnson para niños

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