Joe Marcus Johnson is an American professional
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, currently a member of the
Atlanta HawksThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
of the
NBAThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Johnson stands at 6'7" (2.01 m) and 240 lbs (109 kg).
He played high school basketball for Little Rock Central High School. He later attended the
University of ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
where he played under
Nolan RichardsonNolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...
for two years. After two years in Arkansas he declared for the
2001 NBA DraftThe 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
, where he was drafted 10th overall by the
Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
. Johnson is also a former member of the U.S. national team.
Early years
Johnson was born in
Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. Johnson was an only child; he considered his mother to be the most influential person in his life. He attended Little Rock Central High School, a school that had produced other athletes including baseball hall of famers
Brooks RobinsonBrooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
and
Bill DickeyWilliam Malcolm Dickey was a Major League Baseball catcher and manager.He played his entire 19-year baseball career with the New York Yankees . During Dickey's playing career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning eight championships...
, as well as football player
Fred WilliamsFrederick Ronald Williams OBE was an Australian painter and printmaker. He was one of Australia’s most important artists, and one of the twentieth century’s major painters of the landscape...
and collegiate football coach
Houston NuttHouston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
. At Little Rock Central he was a standout basketball player.
College career
Johnson was offered scholarships from Duke, Connecticut, and other schools with excellent basketball reputations, but chose the
Arkansas RazorbacksThe Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team represents the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in the Southeastern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008...
because it was his dream to play for them. There he joined future NBA player
Jannero PargoJannero Pargo is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls.-College career:Graduating from Paul Robeson High School at Chicago in 1998, Pargo played collegiately for the University of Arkansas after transferring from Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas in...
. While playing for the Razorbacks, Johnson led the team in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game, and rebounding, averaging 5.7 rebounds per game, becoming the first
freshmanA freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
in the school's history to lead the team in both. In his freshman year at Arkansas the team made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament but were defeated by Iowa.
Boston Celtics (2001–2002)
After playing two seasons at the
University of ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, Johnson was selected 10th overall by the
Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
in the
2001 NBA DraftThe 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
.
Johnson started 33 of Boston's first 38 games as a rookie, but his playing time dwindled as the Celtics made a push for the
playoffsThe 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000–01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers winning their second consecutive championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers...
for the first time since 1995. Midway through his rookie season, Johnson was traded to the
Phoenix SunsThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
along with guards
Randy BrownRandy Brown is a retired American basketball player. A 6'2" guard who played at New Mexico State University, Brown was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft...
,
Milt PalacioMilton Sigmund Palacio , referred to as Milt Palacio, is a Belizean American professional basketball player. He currently plays with the pro club Obradoiro CAB in Spain. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, to Belizean parents and is a Belizean citizen.-College career:Palacio attended...
and a first-round pick for veteran forward
Rodney RogersRodney Ray Rogers is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-Early life:...
and guard
Tony DelkTony Lorenzo Delk is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
on February 20, 2002.
Phoenix Suns (2002–2005)
Johnson became a force with Phoenix as he averaged 15.2 points per game in his three and a half seasons with the Suns. He also developed into one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. He is known for his great ball-handling ability considering his size, and for his jump shot.
In the
2005 NBA PlayoffsThe 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
, Joe Johnson required surgery due to a left orbital bone fracture after dunking a basketball. Because of the injury, Johnson wore a face mask for the rest of the playoffs. The Suns lost to the eventual champion
San Antonio SpursThe San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, 4 games to 1.
Atlanta Hawks (2005–present)
In the summer of 2005, Johnson became a highly touted restricted
free agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
and expressed a desire to leave the Suns to assume a larger role on the
Atlanta HawksThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
. Johnson grew upset with Phoenix's initial offers to re-sign him feeling they were well below his market value. This rift eventually led to Johnson requesting the Suns not match Atlanta's $70 million offer. On August 19, 2005, a deal was finalized and Johnson was involved in a sign-and-trade deal with the Hawks for
Boris DiawBoris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod, better known as Boris Diaw , is a French professional basketball player for JSA Bordeaux in France. He has also played in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, and Charlotte Bobcats...
and two future first-round draft picks.
In his first season as a Hawk, Johnson led the Atlanta Hawks in several categories: points (20.2 per game), assists (6.5), and steals (1.26), three-point field goals made (128), and minutes (40.7). He was only one of five players in the league to average at least 20 points and six assists in the
2005–06 seasonThe 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
. Johnson was the only Hawk to play in all 82 games and extended his current league-leading consecutive games played streak to 346 as of November 25, 2006.
On March 5, 2006, he was one of 23 NBA players named to the 2006–08 U.S. men's senior national team.
Johnson scored a career-high 42 points on March 7, 2006 against the
Golden State WarriorsThe Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and recorded a career-high 17 assists on March 13, 2006 Hawks loss against the
Milwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
. He recorded his first career triple-double on February 1, 2006 with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the
Charlotte BobcatsThe Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
.
He played for the U.S. national team in the
2006 FIBA World ChampionshipThe 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, winning a bronze medal.
Johnson continued his development in the 2006–07 season, when he averaged 25.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.05 steals per game. His 25.0 scoring average was behind only
Allen IversonAllen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...
among qualifying NBA guards, and ninth-best overall. Johnson also shot a career-best 47.1% from the field. Johnson was named by league commissioner
David SternDavid Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
to the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star team, replacing the injured
Jason KiddJason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
(back).
Johnson's scoring average had increased in each season of his 6-year NBA career through 2006–07.
In 2008, Johnson made the
2008 All-Star Game-Eastern Conference roster:The Boston Celtics, the team with the league's best record, came into New Orleans with three players. Kevin Garnett, top vote-getter in the league with 2,399,148 votes, was selected as a starter, while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were selected as reserves by the coaches of...
as a reserve. He also was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice during the season. Johnson averaged 21.7 points per game on the season, leading the Hawks to their first playoff appearance in 9 years. In Game 4 of the Hawks' first-round matchup against the
Boston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, Johnson scored 35 points, including 20 in the 4th quarter, leading the Hawks to a 97–92 victory. The Hawks went on to lose the series four games to three.
He registered his second career triple-double on December 23, 2008 in a Hawks win against the
Oklahoma City ThunderThe Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena....
, with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He eclipsed the 10,000-point plateau for his career with his first basket during a 110–107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 31, 2009, a bank shot assisted by Marvin Williams. On March 19, 2010, Johnson hit a game-winning buzzer beater in overtime against the
Charlotte BobcatsThe Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
.
Career transactions
- June 27, 2001: Drafted 10th overall by Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
in 2001 NBA DraftThe 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
.
- February 20, 2002; Traded by Boston along with Randy Brown
Randy Brown is a retired American basketball player. A 6'2" guard who played at New Mexico State University, Brown was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft...
, Milt PalacioMilton Sigmund Palacio , referred to as Milt Palacio, is a Belizean American professional basketball player. He currently plays with the pro club Obradoiro CAB in Spain. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, to Belizean parents and is a Belizean citizen.-College career:Palacio attended...
and a future first-round draft pick to the Phoenix SunsThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
for Rodney RogersRodney Ray Rogers is a retired American basketball player who last played power forward for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-Early life:...
and Tony DelkTony Lorenzo Delk is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
.
- August 19, 2005: Signed and traded by Phoenix to Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
for Boris DiawBoris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod, better known as Boris Diaw , is a French professional basketball player for JSA Bordeaux in France. He has also played in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, and Charlotte Bobcats...
and two future first-round draft picks.
- July 4, 2010: Agreed to terms of a 6 year, $119 million contract to stay in Atlanta.
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"|
BostonThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
| 48 || 33 || 20.9 || .439 || .273 || .769 || 2.9 || 1.5 || .7 || .2 || 6.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02
| style="text-align:left;"|
PhoenixThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
| 29 || 27 || 31.5 || .420 || .333 || .778 || 4.1 || 3.6 || .9 ||
.4 || 9.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
|
82 || 34 || 27.5 || .397 || .366 || .774 || 3.2 || 2.6 || .8 || .2 || 9.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
|
82 || 77 || 40.6 || .430 || .305 || .750 || 4.7 || 4.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 16.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
|
82 ||
82 || 39.5 || .461 ||
.478 || .750 ||
5.1 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .3 || 17.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"|
AtlantaThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
|
82 ||
82 || 40.7 || .453 || .356 || .791 || 4.1 ||
6.5 ||
1.3 ||
.4 || 20.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 57 || 57 ||
41.4 ||
.471 || .381 || .748 || 4.2 || 4.4 || 1.0 || .2 ||
25.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
|
82 ||
82 || 40.8 || .432 || .381 ||
.834 || 4.5 || 5.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 21.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2008–09The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 79 || 79 || 39.5 || .437 || .360 || .826 || 4.4 || 5.8 || 1.1 || .2 || 21.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2009–10The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 76 || 76 || 38.0 || .458 || .369 || .818 || 4.6 || 4.9 || 1.1 || .1 || 21.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2010–11The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 72 || 72 || 35.5 || .443 || .297 || .802 || 4.0 || 4.7 || 0.6 || .1 || 18.2
|-
|align="left" | Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 771 || 701 || 36.8 || .443 || .366 || .793 || 4.2 || 4.5 || 1.0 || .2 || 17.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| All-Star
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 5 || 1 || 18.2 || .412 || .348 || .000 || .8 || 1.4 || 1.4 || .0 || 7.2
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2003The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....
| style="text-align:left;"|
PhoenixThe Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
| 6 || 0 || 27.3 || .275 || .154 || .400 || 4.3 || 1.3 || .7 || .3 || 5.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2005The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix
| 9 || 9 || 39.4 ||
.504 ||
.556 || .697 || 4.3 || 3.3 || 1.1 ||
.4 || 18.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2008The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
| style="text-align:left;"|
AtlantaThe Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| 7 || 7 || 39.3 || .409 || .444 ||
.909 || 3.9 || 4.0 || .3 || .0 ||
20.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2009The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 11 || 11 || 39.0 || .417 || .353 || .622 || 4.5 || 3.5 ||
1.3 || .0 || 16.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2010The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
| 11 || 11 || 40.0 || .387 || .220 || .810 ||
5.1 ||
5.0 || .9 || .3 || 17.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
2011The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta
|
12 ||
12 ||
41.4 || .439 || .429 || .810 || 4.6 || 3.3 || 1.1 || .1 || 18.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 56 || 50 || 38.6 || .418 || .379 || .755 || 4.5 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .2 || 16.9
External links