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 a famous 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 during his career. Most of his time playing was with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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

Early Life and High School Basketball

Marques Johnson was born on February 8, 1956, in Natchitoches, Louisiana. When he was five, his family moved to California for a better life. He grew up in South Los Angeles. His parents were both schoolteachers. They believed that going to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) would help their children succeed. His father was also an assistant basketball coach at Crenshaw High School.

Johnson went to elementary school with James Lofton, who later became a famous football player. At age 11, his family moved to Windsor Hills. He played high school basketball at Crenshaw High School in Crenshaw, Los Angeles. His coach, Willie West, won many city and state championships. In 1973, Johnson was named the best player in the Los Angeles City Section 4-A Division. In 2015, he was honored as part of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) 100th Anniversary Winter All-Century Team.

College Basketball Career

In 1973, Marques Johnson received a scholarship to play basketball at UCLA. He was recruited by the legendary Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden called Johnson right after UCLA won the 1973 NCAA championship. He asked Johnson if he wanted to join the team, and Johnson said yes.

Johnson played for Coach Wooden for two seasons (1973-1975). Then he played for Coach Gene Bartow for two seasons (1975-1977). In his junior year (1975–76), he was chosen as a second-team All American. In his senior year (1976–77), he became a first-team All-American player.

When he first joined UCLA, the team had won 60 games in a row. They had future Hall of Fame players like Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes. In his first week of practice, Wilkes blocked all of Johnson's shots. Johnson's father told him that Wilkes was the best forward in the country and that Johnson would improve.

In his second year (1974–75), Johnson helped the Bruins win Coach John Wooden's 10th and final NCAA Division I men's basketball championship. He was third on the team in scoring and rebounding. After that season, Coach Wooden retired. Johnson continued to play well under Coach Bartow. He was named first-team All-Pac-8 in 1976 and 1977. As a junior, he was second in scoring (17.3 points per game) and first in rebounding (9.4 per game). He made the NCAA all-tournament team in 1976.

In his senior season (1976-1977), Johnson led the team with 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He won many awards, including the first John R. Wooden Award. He was named the nation's top college basketball player.

Johnson also studied Theater Arts at UCLA. He enjoyed acting in high school and college. He even took a sportscasting class and hosted a non-sports TV show on campus.

In 1988, he was added to the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. UCLA retired his No. 54 jersey in 1996. In 2013, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Professional Basketball Career

Milwaukee Bucks (1977–1984)

The Milwaukee Bucks picked Marques Johnson third overall in the 1977 NBA draft. Their coach was 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. He finished second in the voting for NBA Rookie of the Year.

In his second season (1978–79), Johnson was the NBA's third-highest scorer, averaging 25.6 points per game. He was chosen as a starter for the 1979 NBA All-Star Game and made the All-NBA First Team. On December 12, 1978, he scored 40 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. Even with his great play, the Bucks missed the playoffs that year. It was the last time they would miss the playoffs while Johnson was on the team.

On February 27, 1980, Johnson achieved a "triple-double" with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. This helped the Bucks win against the Phoenix Suns. In the playoffs that year, Johnson averaged 19.9 points. The Bucks lost a close 7-game series to the Seattle SuperSonics.

On November 2, 1980, Johnson scored 40 points, along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists. This led the Bucks to a 135–121 win over the Indiana Pacers. This was especially impressive because key teammates were playing with injuries.

On May 2, 1983, in a playoff game, Johnson scored 33 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. This helped the Bucks sweep Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in 4 games. However, the Bucks then lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, who went on to win the championship.

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

Johnson helped Milwaukee win several division titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984). The Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice with him, in 1983 and 1984. While with the Bucks, he was first-team All-NBA in 1978-79, and second-team All-NBA in 1979-80 and 1980–81. He was an All-Star four times. By March 2019, his total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks were all in the top 10 for the Bucks' franchise history.

In 2019, the Bucks retired his number 8 jersey. When asked about his favorite memory with the Bucks, Johnson said it was about the team growing together. He mentioned the great young talent they had, like himself, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman, Quinn Buckner, and Brian Winters.

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 were lower than usual. However, in 1985–86, he bounced back with an All-Star season. He was named the NBA Comeback Player of the Year.

The Clippers struggled to win games during Johnson's three years there. Johnson later said that playing for those losing teams made him feel like they were the "JV team" in Los Angeles. He was named team captain by coach Don Chaney, which helped him stay with the team. On November 20, 1986, Johnson suffered a neck injury during a game.

Golden State Warriors (1989)

After trying to come back from his injury, Johnson joined the Golden State Warriors in October 1989. He played in 10 games with the Warriors before leaving the team in December of the same year.

Fantoni Udine (1989–1990)

After leaving the Warriors, Johnson played for Fantoni Udine in Italy. There, he averaged 23.6 points per game.

Personal Life

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

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

Josiah also played basketball at UCLA. He later helped create a TV show called The Legends of Chamberlain Heights. He is also known for his funny comments about NBA plays on Twitter.

Josh played college basketball at Western Oregon State University and is an actor.

Moriah played basketball at Tuskegee University. He also got a Master's degree in occupational therapy and was an actor on BET's Baldwin Hills.

Cyrus 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, at 15 years old, she is also a high school basketball player.

Looking back, Johnson found it challenging to move from warm southern California to Wisconsin when he was drafted. He said his first year had more snow than in 25 years, and his second year was the coldest in 30 years.

Media Career

After his playing career, Johnson entered the entertainment business. He acted in small roles in several films, including White Men Can't Jump, Love and Action in Chicago, Blue Chips, and Forget Paris. Johnson still enjoys writing screenplays and short stories. Fans often quote lines from White Men Can't Jump to him because of his memorable role as Raymond.

Johnson also worked in radio as a co-host for the Clippers' station in Los Angeles. He was a basketball analyst for the Seattle SuperSonics in the late 1990s. He also worked nationally for Fox Sports and NBA League Pass.

Since 2015, Johnson has been an analyst for Milwaukee Bucks TV broadcasts on Fox Sports Wisconsin. He won an Emmy in 2018 for being a top analyst in the Midwest-Region for his work on Bucks' games.

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

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

See also

In Spanish: Marques Johnson para niños