Marques Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marques Johnson

Johnson with UCLA in 1976–77
Personal information
Born	(1956-02-08) February 8, 1956 (age 69) Natchitoches, Louisiana, U.S.
High school	Crenshaw (Los Angeles, California)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (1973–1977)
NBA Draft	1977 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	1977–1990
Career history
1977–1984	Milwaukee Bucks
1984–1987	Los Angeles Clippers
1989	Golden State Warriors
1989–1990	Fantoni Udine
Career highlights and awards
5× NBA All-Star (1979–1981, 1983, 1986) All-NBA First Team (1979) 2× All-NBA Second Team (1980, 1981) NBA Comeback Player of the Year (1986) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1978) No. 8 retired by Milwaukee Bucks NCAA champion (1975) National college player of the year (1977) Consensus first-team All-American (1977) Second-team All-American – NABC (1976) Pac-8 Player of the Year (1977) 2× First-team All-Pac-8 (1976, 1977) No. 54 retired by UCLA Bruins
Career NBA statistics
Points	13,892 (20.1 ppg)
Rebounds	4,817 (7.0 rpg)
Assists	2,502 (3.6 apg)

Marques Kevin Johnson (born February 8, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1977 to 1989. He was chosen as an All-Star five times. Johnson played most of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks. Today, he works as a basketball analyst for the Bucks on Bally Sports Wisconsin.

Johnson was a top player in high school in Los Angeles, California. He then played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He helped them win a national championship in 1975. In his last year of college, he won several awards as the best college player in the country. The Milwaukee Bucks picked Johnson third overall in the 1977 NBA draft. He played seven seasons with Milwaukee. Later, he played for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Marques Johnson was born in Natchitoches, Louisiana. He grew up in South Los Angeles. He played high school basketball at Crenshaw High School. In 1973, he was named the best player in the Los Angeles City Section 4-A Division.

College Basketball Career

Johnson went on to play for the UCLA basketball team. He became an All-American player. He played under famous coaches John Wooden and Gene Bartow.

In his second year (1974–75), Johnson helped the UCLA Bruins win the NCAA Division I men's basketball championship. This was Coach John Wooden's tenth and final championship. After Wooden retired, Gene Bartow became the head coach. Johnson continued to play very well. He was chosen for the first-team All-Pac-8 twice.

In his senior year, Johnson averaged 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He won the first-ever John R. Wooden Award. He also won the USBWA College Player of the Year award, recognizing him as the nation's top college basketball player. Johnson studied Theater Arts at UCLA. In 1996, UCLA honored him by retiring his No. 54 jersey.

Professional Basketball Career

Milwaukee Bucks (1977–1984)

The Milwaukee Bucks chose Marques Johnson as the third overall pick in the 1977 NBA draft. He joined the team coached by Don Nelson. In his first season, Johnson averaged 19.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the 1978 NBA All-Rookie Team.

In his second season (1978–79), Johnson was the NBA's third-highest scorer. He played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game and was named to the All-NBA First Team. On December 12, 1978, he scored 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns.

Johnson helped the Bucks win several division titles. These were in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984. He and the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice, in 1983 and 1984.

Johnson is known for saying he created the term point forward. This happened in 1984 during the playoffs. The Bucks had many injured point guards. Coach Nelson told Johnson to start the offense from his forward position. Johnson replied, "OK, so instead of a point guard, I'm a point forward."

When his jersey was retired in 2019, Johnson shared his favorite memories with the Bucks. He talked about joining the team at 21 years old. He also mentioned the great young players they had. These players came from strong college programs. They built and grew together as a team.

Los Angeles Clippers (1984–1987)

In 1984, the Bucks traded Johnson to the Los Angeles Clippers. This was a return home for Johnson, as he grew up near the Clippers' arena. In his first season with the Clippers (1984–85), his scoring and shooting numbers were lower. However, in 1985–86, he played well again. He was named an All-Star and won the NBA Comeback Player of the Year award.

The Clippers team struggled to win games. Johnson later said that playing for losing teams "wore you down." Being named team captain was one of the few things that kept him from asking for a trade. In the 1986–87 season, Johnson suffered a neck injury. This injury greatly affected his playing career.

Golden State Warriors (1989)

Johnson made a short return to the NBA in the 1989–90 season. He played only 10 games with the Golden State Warriors. He retired from the NBA on December 27, 1989.

Fantoni Udine (1989–1990)

After leaving the Warriors, Johnson signed with Fantoni Udine in Italy. He averaged 23.6 points per game there.

Personal Life and Family

Marques Johnson has five sons: Kris, Josiah, Joshua, Moriah, and Cyrus. He also has two daughters: Jasmine and Shiloh.

His son, Kris, also played basketball at Crenshaw High and UCLA. Kris was the player of the year in high school. He also won an NCAA championship in 1995. Marques and Kris are the first father-son duo to be named Los Angeles City Section 4-A Player of the Year. They are also one of only four father-son pairs to each win an NCAA basketball championship. They are the only ones to do it at the same school. In 2024, Johnson and Kris started a podcast for the Milwaukee Bucks called "Hear District."

Josiah, another son, also played basketball at UCLA. He later helped create a TV show called The Legends of Chamberlain Heights.

Josh, another son, played college basketball at Western Oregon State University. He is also an actor.

Moriah, another son, played basketball at Tuskegee University. He also earned a Master's degree in occupational therapy. He was an actor on the BET show Baldwin Hills.

Cyrus, another son, played basketball at Sam Houston State University and then California State University, Los Angeles.

Johnson's daughter, Jasmine, is a talented tennis player. His daughter, Shiloh, is good at golf and swimming. As of 2024, she is 15 years old and 6 feet tall, playing high school basketball.

Media Career

Johnson started working in media during his time as a player in Milwaukee. He did some work for a local TV station. This included a piece where he interviewed famous basketball figures like Red Auerbach and Julius Erving.

After his playing career, Johnson began acting. He had small roles in several movies. These include White Men Can't Jump, Love and Action in Chicago, Blue Chips, and Forget Paris. Johnson still enjoys creative work, writing screenplays and short stories. Fans often quote lines from White Men Can't Jump to him. The director, Ron Shelton, praised Johnson's acting in his famous scene.

Johnson also worked as a radio show co-host for the Clippers' main station in Los Angeles. He later became a color analyst for the Seattle SuperSonics in the late 1990s. He also worked as a basketball analyst for national sports channels like Fox Sports and Fox Sports 1.

Since 2015, Johnson has been an analyst for Milwaukee Bucks TV broadcasts. In 2018, he won an Emmy for his work as a top analyst in the Midwest region.

Awards and Honors

• The Milwaukee Bucks retired Johnson's No. 8 jersey on March 24, 2019.
• The Bruins retired his No. 54 jersey in 1996.
• In 2013, Johnson was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
• In 2019, Johnson was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2019, Johnson was inducted into the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
• 5× NBA All-Star (1979–1981, 1983, 1986)
• All-NBA First Team (1979)
• 2× All-NBA Second Team (1980–1981)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (1978)
• NCAA champion (1975)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1977)
• John R. Wooden Award (1977)
• USBWA Player of the Year (1977)
• Adolph Rupp Trophy (1977)
• NABC Player of the Year (1977)
• AP College Player of the Year (1977)
• UPI College Basketball of the Year (1977)
• Helms Foundation Player of the Year (1977)
• Sporting News Player of the Year (1977)
• Pac-10 Player of the Year (1977)
• Consensus first team All-American (1977)
• Pac-10 Hall of Honor

NBA Career Statistics

These tables show Marques Johnson's statistics from his time playing in the NBA. They include how many games he played, his points, rebounds, and assists per game.

Regular Season Statistics

Playoff Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Marques Johnson para niños