Amir Johnson
Amir Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1987 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player, coach |
| Years active | 2005–2022 (player), 2023–present (coach) |
| Known for | NBA career with Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers; assistant coach for NBA G League Ignite |
Amir Jalla Johnson (born May 1, 1987) is a former American professional basketball athlete and coach, presently engaged with the LA Clippers' player development team. His coaching experience includes an assistant role with the NBA G League Ignite, and as a player, he competed in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, who selected him in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, along with stints at the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers.
Early life
Johnson was born in Los Angeles and primarily raised in South Central Los Angeles, also spending periods in Harbor City and Watts. Although possessing notable height and athletic ability, he found limited opportunities to play during his initial high school years, dividing his freshman season between Pacific Hills and Narbonne without game participation. He later transferred to Verbum Dei High School, where he delivered a strong sophomore campaign (2002–03). After moving to Westchester High School, he did not compete in his junior year (2003–04) but returned impressively as a senior (2004–05), securing the 2005 California Mr. Basketball award after leading Westchester to a state title. Additionally, he earned selection as a McDonald's All-American and took part in the 2005 Boys Game.
Rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Johnson was ranked No. 7 among power forwards and No. 29 overall nationally in 2005. Though initially committing to the University of Louisville, he ultimately bypassed college basketball to enter the NBA draft.
Detroit Pistons (2005–2009)
The Detroit Pistons chose Johnson with the 56th pick in the 2005 NBA draft. He was the last player drafted directly from high school until 2015, following an NBA rule mandating American players be at least one year post-high school graduation.
During his rookie season, Johnson appeared in only three games throughout the 2005–06 NBA season. His first NBA points came on January 24, 2006, via a windmill dunk against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On February 27, 2006, he was assigned to the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA Development League, where he participated in 18 games before being recalled by Detroit on April 17. That same day, he scored 18 points with perfect shooting—making all six field goals, including two three-pointers, alongside four free throws.
In the following 2006–07 NBA season, Johnson spent significant time with the D-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce, earning Player of the Week recognition. Over 22 games there, he averaged 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per contest while shooting 62.3%. Despite these strong performances, his appearances for Detroit were limited to eight games that season, posting averages of 5.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.
On July 12, 2007, Johnson secured a three-year contract worth $12 million with the Pistons. Across the subsequent two seasons, he contributed in 124 games as an effective reserve player, averaging approximately 3.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
Toronto Raptors (2009–2015)
On June 23, 2009, Johnson was involved in a three-team trade that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks, with the San Antonio Spurs and Richard Jefferson also part of the transaction. Subsequently, on August 18, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors together with Sonny Weems in exchange for Carlos Delfino and Roko Ukić.
Johnson secured a five-year contract extension worth $34 million with Toronto on July 8, 2010.
During the 2012–13 season, Johnson delivered his most impressive performance to date, setting personal bests in playing time (28.7 minutes per game), scoring (10.0 points per game), rebounds (7.5 per game), assists (1.5 per game), and steals (1.0 per game). His improved output cemented his position within the Raptors organization and deepened his ties to the Toronto fanbase.
On December 8, 2013, Johnson recorded a career-high of 32 points in a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Boston Celtics (2015–2017)
Johnson inked a two-year deal valued at $24 million with the Boston Celtics on July 9, 2015. He made his Celtics debut on October 28, contributing 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench in a 112–95 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers. On January 13, 2016, he posted 14 points alongside a season-best 18 rebounds in a win over the Indiana Pacers. Later, on March 20, he achieved a season-high scoring output of 18 points during a victory against the 76ers. He closed out the 2015–16 season averaging 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.
On November 2, 2016, Johnson tallied 23 points and connected on a personal record of four three-pointers in Boston’s 107–100 win versus the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia 76ers (2017–2019)
Johnson joined the Philadelphia 76ers on July 8, 2017. His hustle and impact earned him the NBA Hustle Award at the 2018 NBA Awards. He re-signed with Philadelphia on July 16, 2018. Facing limited minutes, Johnson voluntarily played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League in February 2019 to maintain competitive form.
On April 13, 2019, during a playoff matchup versus the Brooklyn Nets, Johnson was seen using a cell phone while sitting on the bench as an inactive player. This breach of NBA regulations resulted in his removal from the bench area and an undisclosed fine imposed by the Sixers. Johnson apologized for the incident and did not return to Philadelphia after that season.
NBA G League Ignite (2020–2022)
Johnson became part of the NBA G League Ignite roster on November 12, 2020; his position was officially confirmed on February 1, 2021. He renewed his contract with Ignite on October 28, 2021.
Coaching career
On October 30, 2023, Johnson was appointed assistant coach for the NBA G League Ignite.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 3 || 0 || 13.0 || .700 || .667 || 1.000 || 1.3 || 1.0 || .0 || .7 || 6.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 8 || 0 || 15.5 || .545 || .000 || .786 || 4.6 || .4 || .6 || 1.6 || 5.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 62 || 0 || 12.3 || .558 || – || .673 || 3.8 || .5 || .4 || 1.3 || 3.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 62 || 24 || 14.7 || .595 || – || .657 || 3.7 || .3 || .3 || 1.0 || 3.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 5 || 17.7 || .623 || .000 || .638 || 4.8 || .6 || .5 || .8 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 72 || 54 || 25.7 || .568 || .000 || .787 || 6.4 || 1.1 || .7 || 1.2 || 9.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 64 || 43 || 24.3 || .576 || .400 || .690 || 6.4 || 1.2 || .5 || 1.1||7.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto |81||38||28.7||.554||.385||.727||7.5||1.5||1.0||1.4||10.0 |-
|style="text-align:left;" |Toronto |77||72||28.8||.562||.303||.636||6.6||1.5||.7||1.1||10.4 |- |style="text-align:left;" |Toronto |75||72||26.4||.574||.413||.612||6.1||1.6||.6||.8||9.3 |- |style="text-align:left;" |Boston |79||76||22.8||.585||.233||.570||6..4||1..7||..7||1..1||7..3 |- |style="text-align:left;" |Boston |80|||77|||20..1|||..576|||..409|||..670|||4..6|||1..8|||..6|||..8|||6..5 |- |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |74|||18|||15..8|||..538|||..313|||..612|||4..5|||1..6|||..6|||..6|||4..6 |- |style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia |51|||6|||10..4|||..503|||..300|||-.756|||2-9|||1-2|||-.3|||-.3|||3-9
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |870||||485||||21-1||||570||||332||||673||||54||||12||||06||||10
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008 | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 8 || 0 || 5.4 || .750 || .000 || .500 || 1.6 || .1 || .0 || .4 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 3 || 0 || 4.3 || 1.000 || – || – || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || .3 || .7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2014 | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 7 || 7 || 27.3 || .654 || .000 || .750 || 6.0 || 1.0 || .4 || .6 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015 | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 4 || 2 || 28.0 || .690 || .000 || .500 || 7.0 || 1.0 || .3 || .8 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 22.3 || .667 || .000 || .778 || 7.2 || .7 || .2 || 1.3 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 14 || 9 || 10.1 || .500 || .333 || .625 || 2.1 || .2 || .3 || .4 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 8 || 1 || 11.8 || .524 || – || .800|| 2.9|| 1.1|| .3|| .1|| 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 4||0||5.0|| 1.000|| –|| –||1.3|| .5|| .3|| .0||2.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 54||25||13.9|| .637|| .111|| .654|| 3.5|| .6|| .2|| .5||4.9
Personal life
Johnson hails from a family with strong athletic roots; his sister Indi competed in college basketball, while his cousins Kevin and Kaelin Burnett played as linebackers in the NFL.
He dedicates time to various community efforts, organizing back-to-school events, assisting local hospitals, and sponsoring tickets for underprivileged children to attend games. A notable example of his community involvement includes purchasing all copies of Drake's Nothing Was the Same album from two Toronto outlets to hand out to passersby.