In a recent appearance on the Draymond Green Show, Jeff Teague spoke about James Johnson being one of the toughest players he has ever seen. Teague revealed that he once saw Johnson knock out three men at the same time. He added that he would never want to be in any kind of altercation with him under any circumstances.
“I’ve seen him knock out three dudes at one time. I’ve seen him knock out a seven-footer. His whole family is black belts. He got videos of his dad beating his legs with like, wood. But they’ve got their feet up six inches. So when you see James’ legs, it’s massive…”
“That’s how it was in college, bro. Our freshman year, they kept calling me Mike Conley when I came to Wake Forest – the football players. He was like ‘You call him Mike Conley again, I’mma knock you out’. But then, nobody knew that he had this kickboxing resume.”
“One of the coaches was like “Hey, leave him alone. He’s not who y’all think he is’. And the coaches start telling them ‘Bro, he’s a kickboxer’. We didn’t know either, so we had a meeting.”
“This dude had a kickboxing match set up. The coach tries to sit us down and tell us – ‘Yo, are you going to be a kickboxer or a basketball player?’. He’s like ‘I need some money’. Oh, you’re about to go fight for money? Oh hell no, I’m not f*cking with this dude.”
"I've seen him knock out three dudes at one time… You're about to go fight? For money? Oh hell I'm not f****** with this dude."
Jeff Teague on James Johnson 😂
(via @TheVolumeSports)pic.twitter.com/3BSwdzc6Nh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 18, 2024
Johnson has clearly played the enforcer role on every team he has played on since his college days. If what Teague says is to be believed, he has always been the player who has his teammates’ backs and is ready to throw down and get physical with opposing players or anyone who disrespects his teammates.
Is Johnson The Toughest Player In The NBA?
James Johnson forged a journeyman career for himself in the NBA. He entered the league in 2009, being selected 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Draft. He spent some time in the G-League with the Iowa Energy, before being traded by the Bulls to the Raptors.
After a year in Toronto, the Raptors traded Johnson to the Sacramento Kings. In 2013, he signed with the Hawks, before being waived, which sent him to the G-League once again, with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he had a great 10 games, opening the door for him to sign with the Grizzlies in December of 2013.
He would return to Toronto in 2014, where he became a bit of a cult favorite for his dunk on Andre Drummond during a game. His post-game comments – “I cocked that joint back and banged on him” – became iconic and led to fans making t-shirts with his words, turning it into a Raptors slogan.
Johnson would leave the Raptors to sign for the Heat in 2016, signing a one-year contract. He would have his best year in the NBA, averaging 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 76 games, mostly coming off the bench. He would sign a four-year, $60 million contract with the Heat in 2017.
He wouldn’t reach the same performance levels again after the 2018-19 season, and thus, in 2020, he would be traded to the Timberwolves. Since then, he has bounced around to several teams, including the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Nets.
In 2023, after several start-stop signings, Johnson would sign with the Pacers for the rest of the 2022-23 NBA season. He returned in December of 2023, re-signing with them, only for him to get waived so the Pacers could complete the Pascal Siakam trade. He would re-sign once again on a 10-day contract, before once again signing for the rest of the season.
Johnson’s presence as the old, time-tested veteran who will protect the players and be an enforcer paid dividends for the Pacers, as they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. Perhaps Johnson will return to the Pacers this year, hopefully under less dramatic circumstances.
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