Joe Johnson (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Joe Johnson

Johnson in 2022
Shooting guard / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1981-06-29) June 29, 1981 (age 44) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
High school	Little Rock Central (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	Arkansas (1999–2001)
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	2001–2022
Career history
2001–2002	Boston Celtics
2002–2005	Phoenix Suns
2005–2012	Atlanta Hawks
2012–2016	Brooklyn Nets
2016	Miami Heat
2016–2018	Utah Jazz
2018	Houston Rockets
2021–2022	Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
7× NBA All-Star (2007–2012, 2014) All-NBA Third Team (2010) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2002) Second-team All-SEC (2001) SEC Rookie of the Year (2000) SEC All-Freshman Team (2000) Arkansas Mr. Basketball (1999)
Career statistics
Points	20,407 (16.0 ppg)
Rebounds	5,059 (4.0 rpg)
Assists	5,001 (3.9 apg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States World Championships Bronze 2006 Japan National team

Joe Marcus Johnson (born June 29, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "Iso Joe" because of his amazing skills in one-on-one plays. Joe played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks before joining the NBA. He was picked 10th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2001 NBA draft.

Joe Johnson was a seven-time NBA All-Star. He played for many teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and Houston Rockets. He also played for the United States national team. Joe is one of only 52 NBA players to score over 20,000 points in his career. He was the last active NBA player who had played against Michael Jordan.

Early Life and High School Success

Joe Johnson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. As a child, he was part of the William E. Thrasher Boys & Girls Club. He went to Little Rock Central High School, which was known for producing great athletes.

In his senior year, Joe led his high school team, the Tigers, to their 18th state championship. He was also named Arkansas Mr. Basketball, a top award for high school players in the state.

College Basketball Career

Joe Johnson played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Freshman Year (1999–2000)

In his first year, Joe was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. He also made the SEC All-Tournament team. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Joe led Arkansas to win the 2000 SEC men's basketball tournament championship.

Sophomore Year (2000–01)

In his second year, Joe continued to play well. He was named to the All-SEC second team and the SEC All-Tournament team again. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. After this season, he decided to enter the NBA draft.

Professional NBA Career

Boston Celtics (2001–2002)

The Boston Celtics picked Joe Johnson as the 10th overall player in the 2001 NBA draft. During his first season, he played 48 games for the Celtics. He averaged 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. In February 2002, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix Suns (2002–2005)

Joe became a key player for the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 14.0 points per game during his three and a half seasons with the team. He became known for his excellent three-point shooting.

In the 2004–05 season, Joe and the Suns had a great record of 62 wins and 20 losses. His three-point shooting improved a lot that year. During the 2005 NBA playoffs, Joe had to have surgery for a broken bone near his eye. He got this injury after trying to dunk the ball. He missed some playoff games and wore a face mask when he returned. The Suns lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.

Atlanta Hawks (2005–2012)

Joe Johnson playing for the Hawks in 2010.

In 2005, Joe Johnson joined the Atlanta Hawks. He wanted a bigger role on a team, and the Hawks offered him a large contract.

In his first season with the Hawks, Joe led the team in many areas. He averaged 20.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 1.26 steals per game. He was one of only five players in the league to average at least 20 points and six assists in the 2005–06 season. Joe also played in all 82 games that season.

He scored a career-high 42 points in a game in March 2006. He also had a career-high 17 assists in another game that month. On February 1, 2006, he achieved his first career triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

In the 2006–07 season, Joe averaged 25.0 points per game, which was ninth best in the league. He was chosen for the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star team.

In 2008, Joe made the 2008 All-Star Game again. He helped the Hawks reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years. In one playoff game, he scored 35 points, with 20 of those points coming in the final quarter. The Hawks took the top-seeded Boston Celtics to a Game 7 in the playoffs, showing how much the team had improved.

On December 23, 2008, Joe recorded his second career triple-double. He scored his 10,000th career point in January 2009. In March 2010, he made a game-winning shot at the buzzer in overtime.

In July 2010, Joe signed a new contract with the Hawks. At that time, it made him one of the highest-paid players in the NBA.

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2016)

Joe Johnson playing for the Nets in 2014.

In July 2012, Joe Johnson was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. After a slow start, he began to play very well in December. He had a 32-point game and made a game-winning shot in double overtime. He hit another game-winner two days later. In February 2013, he made a game-tying three-pointer and then a game-winning shot in overtime.

In November 2013, Joe made his first game-winning shot of the season for the Nets. In December 2013, he made a career-high 10 three-pointers in one game. He scored 29 points in just one quarter of that game. In January 2014, he made another game-winning shot. He was also selected for his seventh All-Star game.

In November 2014, Joe scored a season-high 34 points. In February 2015, he became one of only seven players in NBA history to reach 18,000 career points and 1,600 career three-pointers.

In November 2015, Joe played in his 1,072nd NBA regular season game, matching Michael Jordan. He also had a streak of 900 straight games with at least one field goal. In January 2016, he passed Peja Stojaković for 11th place on the career three-pointers list. He also became the 31st player in NBA history to play 40,000 minutes. In February 2016, he had season highs of 27 points and 11 assists. He also hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win a game. Joe was released by the Nets in February 2016.

Miami Heat (2016)

Joe Johnson signed with the Miami Heat in February 2016. In his first game, he scored 12 points. In his second game, he scored 24 points and moved up to 50th place on the NBA's career scoring list. He helped the Heat reach the second round of the playoffs.

Utah Jazz (2016–2018)

In July 2016, Joe Johnson signed with the Utah Jazz. He was expected to come off the bench, but an injury to another player meant he started the season. In his first game for the Jazz, he scored 29 points.

In April 2017, Joe scored 21 points off the bench and hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer in a playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Eight days later, he scored 28 points off the bench in another playoff game. The Jazz won the series, which was their first playoff series win since 2010.

Joe missed 21 games early in the 2017–18 season due to a wrist injury. In February 2018, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, but he was released by them three days later.

Houston Rockets (2018)

Joe Johnson signed with the Houston Rockets in February 2018. He made his debut for the Rockets that same day, scoring nine points.

BIG3 and The Basketball Tournament (2019–present)

In March 2019, Joe Johnson began playing in the BIG3 basketball league. In August 2019, he was named BIG3 MVP. In September 2019, he won his first BIG3 championship with the Triplets team.

In September 2019, Joe briefly returned to the NBA, signing with the Detroit Pistons, but he was later released.

Joe also played for Overseas Elite in The Basketball Tournament 2020, helping them reach the semifinals. He was named to the All-Tournament team. Joe retired from BIG3 during the 2022 season but returned for the 2023 season.

Return to the Celtics (2021–2022)

In December 2021, Joe Johnson signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics, the team that first drafted him. His return to the Celtics marked a gap of 19 years and 305 days between his times with the team, which is the longest gap in NBA history. He made his only shot in that game, becoming one of only two players to score a basket with the same team at both age 20 and age 40. This game was his last NBA appearance. With his retirement, there were no active NBA players left who had played against Michael Jordan.

Playing for the National Team

In March 2006, Joe Johnson was chosen to be part of the United States national team. He played for the team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He helped the USA win the bronze medal by defeating Argentina after losing to Greece in the semi-finals. In nine games, Joe averaged 7.3 points.

In February 2021, Joe was selected for the 14-player roster for the final round of the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualification. He scored 11 points in a victory against the Bahamas. He also had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a win against Mexico.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

College Statistics

More About Joe Johnson

• List of NBA career games played leaders
• List of NBA career scoring leaders
• List of NBA career 3-point scoring leaders
• List of NBA career minutes played leaders

See also

In Spanish: Joe Johnson para niños