Joe Johnson

Joe Marcus Johnson is a professional basketball player currently signed as a swingman for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on June 29, 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Johnson was drafted by the Boston Celtics as the 10th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft. He was traded mid-season to the Phoenix Suns where he developed into a potent three-point shooter coming off the bench. In 2005, as a highly touted restricted free agent, Johnson was involved in a sign-and-trade deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

Assuming a larger role in Atlanta, Johnson is credited for bringing a perennial lottery team to the NBA Playoffs in 2008.

College Career

Johnson was offered scholarships from Duke, Connecticut, and other schools with excellent basketball reputations, but chose the Arkansas Razorbacks because it was his dream to play for them.

Johns was also offered a scholarship to U Of L at H, but also turned that down preferring to play at a more well known institution.

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 freshman in the school's history to lead the team in both.


Professional Career

Boston Celtics

After playing two seasons at the University of Arkansas, Johnson was selected 10th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft.

ohnson started 33 of Boston's first 38 games as a rookie, but his playing time dwindled as the Celtics made a push for the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 1995. Midway through his rookie season, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with guards Randy Brown, Milt Palacio and a first round pick for veteran forward Rodney Rogers and guard Tony Delk on February 20, 2002.


Phoenix Suns

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 most lethal three-point shooters in the NBA. He is notorious for his great ball-handling ability considering his size, and for his jump shot.

In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, 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 Spurs, 4 games to 1.


Atlanta Hawks

In the summer of 2005, Johnson became a highly touted restricted free agent and expressed a desire to leave the Suns to assume a larger role on the Atlanta Hawks. 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 Diaw 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 season. 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 Warriors and recorded a career-high 17 assists in March 13, 2006 Hawks loss against the Milwaukee Bucks. He recorded his first career triple-double on February 1, 2006 with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats.

He played for the U.S. national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, 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 Iverson 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 Stern to the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star team, replacing the injured Jason Kidd (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 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 Celtics, 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 Thunder, 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.