Anthony Johnson (basketball)

For other people named Anthony Johnson, see Anthony Johnson (disambiguation).

Anthony Mark Johnson (born October 2, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player who last played with the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). At 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m), he played the point guard position. He found success in pro basketball, becoming the first NBA D-League player to participate in an NBA Finals. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Johnson played college basketball at the College of Charleston and was drafted in the NBA in 1997.

Anthony Johnson

Personal information
Born	(1974-10-02) October 2, 1974 (age 48) Charleston, South Carolina
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	R. B. Stall (Charleston, South Carolina)
College	College of Charleston (1992–1997)
NBA draft	1997 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career	1997–2010
Position	Point guard / Shooting guard
Number	10, 24, 8, 2, 5
Career history
1997–1998	Sacramento Kings
1999–2000	Atlanta Hawks
2000	Orlando Magic
2000–2001	Atlanta Hawks
2001–2002	Cleveland Cavaliers
2001–2002	Mobile Revelers
2002–2003	New Jersey Nets
2003–2006	Indiana Pacers
2006–2007	Dallas Mavericks
2007–2008	Atlanta Hawks
2008	Sacramento Kings
2008–2010	Orlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
TAAC Player of the Year (1997) First-team All-TAAC (1997)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

After leading R.B. Stall High School to the South Carolina AAA football championship, Johnson received a basketball scholarship at the College of Charleston, where his older brother Steven was a standout years earlier. By his senior year, he developed into one of the top players in the Trans America Athletic Conference, named conference player of the year in 1997, while leading the College of Charleston to an NCAA basketball tournament first round victory over the University of Maryland at the Memphis regional.

NBA career

He was the first player in College of Charleston history selected in the NBA Draft, picked by the Sacramento Kings in the late second round. In the 1997-98 season, he started 62 games, averaging 7.5 points per game. Over the next several seasons, he played with the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New Jersey Nets. On December 7, 2001, Johnson signed with the NBDL team Mobile Revelers and played there for 15 games, averaging 11.9 points per game.^[1]

In the 2003-2004 season, he was signed by the Indiana Pacers, where he had a career resurgence, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game and scoring 6.5 points per game. Prior to the 2004-2005 season, the longtime NBA journeyman earned his first long term contract, a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers.

He drew a five-game suspension from the NBA as a result of his actions in the Pacers–Pistons brawl which broke out at The Palace of Auburn Hills near the end of a November 19, 2004 game between the two teams.

During the 2004-2005 season, Pacers' starting point guard, Jamaal Tinsley, missed extended periods of time due to injury, which led to a starting role for Anthony Johnson during much to the latter half of that season.

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Johnson scored a career-high 40 points against the New Jersey Nets in Game 6 of the series. Despite his heroics, the Pacers lost 96-90, and the series 4-2 to the Nets.

In the 2006 off-season, Johnson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for guard Darrell Armstrong, and forwards Josh Powell and Rawle Marshall.

On February 22, 2007, Johnson was traded back to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a second round draft choice. It was Johnson's third stint with the team.^[2]

On February 16, 2008 the Sacramento Kings acquired Johnson along with Shelden Williams, Tyronn Lue, and Lorenzen Wright in exchange for Mike Bibby.

On July 15, 2008, Johnson signed a two-year contract worth $3.8 million with the Orlando Magic. It was his second stint in Orlando. In two seasons with the Magic, he played in 111 games, starting 12, and participated in the 2009 NBA Finals. His contract expired at the conclusion of the 2009-10 NBA season, making him a free agent.

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1997–98	Sacramento	77	62	29.4	.371	.328	.727	2.2	4.3	.8	.1	7.5
1998–99	Atlanta	49	2	18.1	.404	.263	.695	1.5	2.2	.7	.1	5.0
1999–00	Atlanta	38	2	11.1	.350	.167	.792	1.0	1.6	.6	.1	2.4
1999–00	Orlando	18	4	11.9	.426	.200	.600	.7	.7	.6	.1	3.4
2000–01	Atlanta	25	0	11.2	.366	.000	.706	.9	1.4	.7	.2	2.6
2000–01	Cleveland	28	0	8.3	.333	.500	.688	.8	1.6	.2	.0	2.4
2001–02	New Jersey	34	0	10.8	.411	.333	.640	.9	1.4	.9	.0	2.8
2002–03	New Jersey	66	2	12.8	.446	.371	.689	1.2	1.3	.6	.1	4.1
2003–04	Indiana	73	7	21.9	.406	.336	.798	1.8	2.8	.9	.1	6.2
2004–05	Indiana	63	36	27.7	.445	.380	.752	2.8	4.8	.9	.2	8.4
2005–06	Indiana	75	53	26.4	.443	.329	.752	2.2	4.3	.8	.3	9.2
2006–07	Dallas	40	0	14.1	.411	.379	.724	1.2	2.0	.4	.0	3.8
2006–07	Atlanta	27	17	27.4	.416	.318	.781	2.0	4.6	.6	.1	7.5
2007–08	Atlanta	42	41	26.7	.431	.429	.813	2.3	4.8	1.0	.2	6.7
2007–08	Sacramento	27	11	15.2	.455	.500	.818	1.4	2.2	.4	.0	3.9
2008–09	Orlando	80	12	18.5	.404	.391	.753	1.8	2.5	.6	.1	5.3
2009–10	Orlando	31	0	13.1	.441	.333	.950	1.5	2.0	.4	.0	4.2
Career		793	249	19.6	.414	.356	.745	1.7	2.9	.7	.1	5.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1999	Atlanta	9	0	12.3	.276	.500	.700	1.0	1.1	.1	.1	2.7
2002	New Jersey	19	0	8.5	.377	.100	.818	.7	1.1	.3	.0	2.6
2003	New Jersey	17	0	7.2	.548	.500	.833	.7	1.1	.1	.0	2.5
2004	Indiana	16	0	20.8	.362	.300	.773	2.1	2.1	.8	.3	4.6
2005	Indiana	13	4	24.3	.351	.348	.806	2.9	5.1	1.0	.4	7.0
2006	Indiana	6	6	40.3	.517	.400	.667	5.0	5.2	1.0	.0	20.0
2009	Orlando	19	1	14.7	.376	.300	.500	1.4	2.1	.6	.0	4.3
2010	Orlando	1	0	5.0	.500	.000	.000	.0	2.0	.0	.0	2.0
Career		100	11	15.7	.404	.321	.721	1.6	2.2	.5	.1	4.8

Notes

1. Bogaczyk, Jack (June 7, 2002). . NBDL. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
2. "Hawks acquire A. Johnson from Mavs". SI.com. 2007-02-22. from the original on 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-02-22.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com