Johnson won basketball scholarships from Duke University and the University of Connecticut, but he finally chose to join his hometown, Arkansas Wild Boars, because he dreamed of playing for this team since he was a child.
During his stay at the University of Arkansas, Johnson led the team in scoring (16.0) and rebounding (5.7). He is also the first freshman in school history to lead the team to score and rebound.
Boston Celtics
After spending two seasons at the University of Arkansas during the Celtic period, Johnson participated in the 200 1 NBA draft and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round with the overall pick of 10.
After coming to Celtic, Johnson got 33 starting opportunities in the first 38 games of his career. However, since then, Johnson's playing time has also been reduced because the Celtics are eager to complete their first playoff trip since 1995. On February 20th, 2002, in the middle of Johnson's rookie season, the Celtics traded him to Phoenix Suns with guards randy brown and milt palacio and a first-round draft pick, in exchange for veteran striker rodney rogers and defender Tony Delk.
Sun Phoenix (2002-2005)
After joining Phoenix Suns, Johnson gradually grew into a strong player. In these three and a half seasons, Johnson averaged 15.2 points per game, and at the same time, he became one of the best three-point shooters in the league. His excellent ball control skills and jump shot ability are also beginning to be known.
In the 2005 playoffs, Johnson was injured by a defender during a dunk and broke his eye. After that, he wore a mask and completed the next playoff trip. In the end, the Sun lost to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs by 1-4.
Atlanta Hawks (2005-present)
In the summer of 2005, Johnson became a restricted free agent, hoping to get a higher position in the Hawks. He asked the Suns to leave the team. Johnson was disappointed with the Suns' original contract extension proposal. He thinks the Suns' goal is to reduce their market value. All this eventually led Johnson to ask the Sun not to match the eagle, and signed a five-year, $70 million quotation contract with him. On August 19, 2005, Eagle and Sun reached a deal of signing first and then exchanging. The Hawks gave boris diaw and two future first-round draft picks in exchange for Johnson.
In the first season of the Hawks, Johnson led the team in many statistics: average score (20.2), assists (6.5), steals (1.26), three-point hits (128) and playing time (40.7). He also became one of the five players who averaged 20 points and 6 assists per game in the league in 2005-06. Johnson is also the only player in the Hawks who has played 82 regular-season games all season. Since then, he has kept his continuous appearance record to 346 games until June 25, 2006.
On March 5, 2006, Johnson became one of the 23 people selected for the American men's basketball team. In the 2006 world championship, he represented the United States and finally won a bronze medal.
On March 7, 2006, Johnson scored a career-high 42 points against the Warriors and sent a career-high 17 assist against the Bucks on March 3, but the team finally lost. In February, 2006 1 Hawk vs Bobcats, Johnson played the first triple-double in his career: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 1 assists.
In the 2006-07 season, Johnson continued his progress. This season, he averaged 25.0 points, 4.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds 1.05 steals. He averaged 25 points per game, ranking second among all guards, second only to Allen Iverson, and ninth in the league. In addition, his shooting percentage reached a career high of 47. 1%. This season, he was nominated by League President david stern to replace jason kidd with back injury in the Eastern All-Star Team.
During the six seasons from the Eagle period to the 2006-07 season, Johnson's average score kept rising every year.
In 2008, Johnson was re-elected as a substitute for the all-star team. This season, he was also elected as the best player in the East twice. Average 2 1.7 points per game in 2007-08 season. Under his leadership, the Hawks entered the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Johnson scored 35 points against Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs, including 20 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks win 97-92. But the Hawks finally lost the series 3-4.
On February 23rd, 2008, against Thunder, at 65438, Johnson scored his second career triple-double: 20 points, 1 1 rebounds, 1 1 assists. In the match with Bucks on June 65438+1October 3 1 day, 2009, marvin williams's passing helped him score 10000 points in his career. On March, 2065438+00 19, Johnson scored the winning goal in overtime against Bobcats, leading the team to victory.