Kris Johnson (basketball) facts for kids
Johnson on scoreboard during an appearance at Pauley Pavilion in 2012.
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| Small forward / shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 18, 1975 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UCLA (1994–1998) |
| NBA Draft | 1998 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | c. 1998–c. 2006 |
| Career history | |
| ? | Avtodor Saratov |
| 1999–2000 | Quad City Thunder |
| 2000 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 2001–2003 | Al Rayyan |
| ? | Riyadi |
| 2005 | Antranik |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Kristaan Iman Johnson (born July 18, 1975) is a former American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He won an NCAA championship in 1995 during his first year.
Johnson played professionally for eight years in different countries. He won the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Champions Cup in 2002. He was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). After his playing career, Johnson worked as a basketball analyst for Fox Sports. He later started his own sports website, JerseyChaser.com.
Johnson's father, Marques Johnson, also played professional basketball. Marques played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both Kris and Marques played college basketball at UCLA under the famous coach John Wooden. They are one of the few father-son pairs to both win an NCAA basketball championship.
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Growing Up and High School Basketball
Johnson was born in Los Angeles on July 18, 1975. His father was former NBA player Marques Johnson. His mother was Sabrina Sheran. Kris moved schools often because of his father's basketball career. He went to many different schools.
When Kris was young, his family experienced a very sad accident. This event deeply affected Kris. His parents decided to move him to Atlanta to help him cope. He faced some challenges in school there. After some difficulties, Johnson returned to Los Angeles.
Johnson worked hard to improve his basketball skills. He played two years at Montclair Prep. He lost a lot of weight between his freshman and sophomore years. He then moved to Crenshaw High School for his junior year. His father believed Crenshaw would help him play for a big college like UCLA.
At Crenshaw, Johnson was a star player. He averaged 22.6 points and 14 rebounds in his first season. He was named the Los Angeles City Section 4-A Player of the Year. His father, Marques, had won this award in 1973. This made them the first father-son duo to receive this honor. Johnson also won two California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Division I championships with Crenshaw. He won in his junior year and again in his senior year in 1994. In his final season, he averaged 23.3 points and 9.2 rebounds.
Playing for UCLA Bruins
Johnson's skills in scoring and rebounding caught the attention of UCLA. He was difficult for opponents to defend. He became the third player from Crenshaw High to attend UCLA. His father was the first. Kris chose UCLA over several other major colleges.
Johnson was an important player for UCLA from 1994 to 1998. He wore his father's jersey number, 54. Like his father, he won a national championship. The Johnsons are one of only four father-son pairs to each win an NCAA basketball championship. During Johnson's time, UCLA had a great record of 102 wins and 27 losses. They also won three Pacific-10 titles in a row.
Johnson was a versatile player, able to score both close to the basket and from further away. He sometimes struggled with his weight. He was nicknamed "The Round Mound of Sound." He worked hard to lose weight after his first year.
Before his freshman season, Johnson had surgery on his left leg. This slowed him down. He was expected to be a major player, but a stress fracture kept him off the court for a month. When he returned, he had gained weight. He struggled to get back into shape. Even though he faced challenges, he supported his team. UCLA went on to win the NCAA tournament that year. Johnson later called this "the greatest experience of his life."
His second season in 1995–96 ended with an upset loss to Princeton in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Johnson said the team had "chemistry-type issues." In his junior season in 1996–97, the Bruins won 12 games in a row. They reached the Elite Eight in the tournament.
In his senior year (1997–98), Johnson faced a suspension. This experience helped him grow and become more responsible. He said he realized he "couldn't carry that weight for the rest of my life." He learned to see "the bigger picture." Johnson led UCLA in scoring in his senior year. He averaged 18.4 points overall and 21.1 points in Pac-10 games. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds. He was named an honorable mention for the All-Pac-10 team. He was also named co-Most Valuable Player for his team. The team reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament that season.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, some experts thought Johnson might play in Europe or be an undrafted free agent. He was drafted by the Yakima Sun Kings in the 1998 Continental Basketball Association draft.
Johnson played professional basketball for eight seasons. He played in countries like Russia, Turkey, Qatar, and Lebanon. He started in Russia for Avtodor Saratov. Then he played in Turkey for a few months. He returned to the United States and played in the Continental Basketball Association. He played for the Quad City Thunder in 1999–2000. He also briefly played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2000.
Next, he went to Qatar and played for Al Rayyan from 2001 to 2003. With Al Rayyan, he won the 2002 Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Champions Cup. Johnson scored 32 points in the championship game. He was named the MVP of the tournament. Later, he played in Lebanon for Riyadi and then Antranik in 2005.
Life After Basketball
After his basketball career, Johnson worked at Fox Sports starting in 2008. He worked there for three years. He was a college basketball studio analyst. He also co-hosted a segment called "Beyond the Arc." He has managed several business projects. He also started his own sports website, JerseyChaser.com.
Family Life
Kris Johnson has two younger brothers. His brother, Josiah, also played basketball at Montclair Prep and UCLA. Another younger brother, Moriah, joined the basketball team at Tuskegee University in 2011. Moriah also appeared on the reality television series, Baldwin Hills.
