Cameron Jordan Johnson (born March 3, 1996) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facul ...

and the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

. Drafted by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

with the eleventh overall pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

, Johnson was traded to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

on draft night. During his sophomore season, he reached the

2021 NBA Finals The 2021 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2020–21 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks de ...

with the Suns. He spent three full seasons in Phoenix before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2023.

High school career

As a junior in high school, Johnson was a 6-foot-2 point guard before having a growth spurt. He graduated from

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The origin of this Marian title goes back to Father Jules Chevalier, the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. History In 1854, in Issoudun, during the novena of the I ...

. As a senior at OLSH, Johnson averaged 27.8 points, eight rebounds and five assists per game. He finished his career with 1,175 points. He signed with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in April 2014.

College career

Pittsburgh (2014–2017)

Johnson suffered a shoulder injury shortly into his first year at Pittsburgh and was allowed to redshirt during that season in order to undergo rehabilitation for his injury. He was used as a substitute during his redshirt freshman year. As a redshirt sophomore at Pitt, Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game and hit 41.5% of his three-point attempts. Johnson graduated from

with a degree in communications in three years. He took advantage of the graduate transfer rule and moved to North Carolina without sitting out a year. The University of Pittsburgh initially refused to allow his release to their in-conference rival Tar Heels but eventually relented. He cited uncertainty in coaching and a losing record as factors in his decision to transfer.

North Carolina (2017–2019)

On November 15, 2017, five days after his team's season opener, Johnson had surgery to fix a torn meniscus. Johnson ended up sitting out ten games. Although hindered by the injury, Johnson finished third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game as well as grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game in his redshirt junior season. Johnson scored a career-high 32 points against Clemson. After the season, Johnson underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure and announced his intention to return to North Carolina for his senior season. Johnson's senior season proved to be his most statistically successful campaign. Unhindered by injury, Johnson was the leading scorer for the Tar Heels with 16.9 points per game and averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Johnson shot 50.6 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from three, leading some commentators to call Johnson "the best shooter in hedraft." Johnson had several notable performances during his senior season. Playing against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, Johnson shot 79% from the field for the game and made his first six three-point attempts, ultimately finishing with 27 points in a 95–57 rout of the Demon Deacons. Against

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke Duke Blue ...

, Johnson finished with 26 points in an 88–72 victory against the Blue Devils, then the nation's top-ranked team. Against Clemson in

Littlejohn Coliseum The Littlejohn Coliseum is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. It is home to the Clemson University Tigers men's and women's basketball teams. It is also the site of Clemson graduations and the Clemson ...

, Johnson made six three-pointers to finish with 19 points in a two-point victory. After the conclusion of conference play, Johnson was named to the All-ACC first team.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2019–2023)

On June 20, 2019, the

drafted Johnson with the eleventh overall pick in the

, then immediately traded him and

Dario Šarić Dario Šarić (; born 8 April 1994) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He also represents the senior ...

to the

for

Jarrett Culver Jarrett Ryan Culver (born February 20, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Early life Culver was born to Regina and Hiawatha ...

, the sixth pick of the draft. The trade was officially completed on July 6, with the Suns later announcing that they had signed Johnson the same day. On October 26, 2019, Johnson made his NBA debut coming off the bench in a 130–122 win over the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. On November 19, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 120–116 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. Johnson then matched his season-high on December 5 in a 139–132 overtime win over the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

Johnson had his first professional start with the team on February 10, 2020, against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On March 3, 2020, Johnson scored a new season-high of 21 points on his 24th birthday in a 123–114 loss to the defending champion

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. After originally being out for the rest of March due to illness, Johnson returned to action as a starter on July 31, scoring 12 points in a 125–112 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. Two days later, Johnson had his first professional double-double with 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a 117–115 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. He later recorded his second double-double of his rookie season on August 6, matching his season-high 12 rebounds with 14 points scored in a 114–99 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Two days later, Johnson broke the franchise record previously set by

Wesley Person Wesley Lavon Person (born March 28, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After his playing career, Person became a women's basketball assistant coach and then the h ...

for the quickest player to score at least 100 three-pointers in a 119–112 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, reaching it in only 54 games played. With Johnson starting for Phoenix, the Suns would have an 8–0 record in the

2020 NBA Bubble The 2020 NBA Bubble was the bio-secure bubble at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, that was created by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to protect its players from the COVID-19 pandemic during the final eight games ...

as of August 13, having a winning streak of at least 7 games for the first time since March 2010. On December 27, 2020, Johnson matched his then career-high of 21 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over the

. Johnson helped the Suns reach the

, but the Suns lost the series in 6 games to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. On March 4, 2022, Johnson put up a career-high 38 points with nine three-pointers made alongside a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer in a 115–114 win over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. He finished third in

NBA Sixth Man of the Year The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year (colloquially known as the 6MOY) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming ...

voting, behind winner

Tyler Herro Tyler Christopher Herro ( ; born January 20, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed “Boy Wonder”, he played college basketball for one year with the Ken ...

and

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

. To start the 2022–23 season, Johnson was named the starting power forward for the Suns by head coach

Monty Williams Tavares Montgomery Williams (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach, executive, and former player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) who is the head coach of the TMI Episcopal’s boys basketball team. He pre ...

. On November 8, 2022, Johnson underwent surgery to remove part of the meniscus in his right knee and was ruled out for at least one to two months.

Brooklyn Nets (2023–present)

On February 9, 2023, the Suns traded Johnson to the

, along with

Mikal Bridges Mikal Bridges ( ; born August 30, 1996), nicknamed “the Warden”, is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats men' ...

Jae Crowder Corey Jae Crowder ( ; born July 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Not being heavily recruited out of high school, Crowder committed to South Georgia Te ...

, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 first-round pick swap, in exchange for

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

and T. J. Warren. Johnson made his Nets debut two days later, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 101–98 loss to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. On July 6, 2023, Johnson re-signed with the Nets. On November 19, 2024, Johnson had his best career game with the Nets, scoring 34 points and hitting 6 threes, leading them to a 1-point win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. On June 30, 2025,

Shams Charania Shams Charania ( ; born April 1, 1994) is an American sports reporter for ESPN, where he covers the National Basketball Association. He previously worked for ''The Athletic,'' Stadium, and FanDuel TV. Early life Charania was raised in Wilmett ...

of ESPN reported that the Nets agreed to trade Johnson to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

for

Michael Porter Jr. Michael Lamar Porter Jr. (born June 29, 1998), also known as "MPJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter ...

and a 2032 first-round pick. The trade cannot be formally completed until July 6, after the

July moratorium The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association (NBA) teams are allowed to pay their players. Like the other major professional sports leagues in North America, the NBA has a salary cap to control ...

at the start of the 2025–26 NBA year.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 57 , , 9 , , 22.0 , , .435 , , .390 , , .807 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 60 , , 11 , , 24.0 , , .420 , , .349 , , .847 , , 3.3 , , 1.4 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 66 , , 16 , , 26.2 , , .460 , , .425 , , .860 , , 4.1 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 17 , , 16 , , 25.3 , , .474 , , .455 , , .818 , , 3.8 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 25 , , 25 , , 30.8 , , .468 , , .372 , , .851 , , 4.8 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 16.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 47 , , 27.6 , , .446 , , .391 , , .789 , , 4.3 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 57 , , 31.6 , , .475 , , .390 , , .893 , , 4.3 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .4 , , 18.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 340 , , 181 , , 26.5 , , .453 , , .392 , , .851 , , 3.9 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , 12.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 21 , , 0 , , 21.1 , , .500 , , .446 , , .906 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 13 , , 3 , , 24.6 , , .465 , , .373 , , .813 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 38.0 , , .509 , , .429 , , .857 , , 5.8 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 18.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 38 , , 7 , , 24.1 , , .489 , , .416 , , .859 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .2 , , 10.2

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 14.4 , , .394 , , .348 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , .4 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 1 , , 11.7 , , .397 , , .375 , , .808 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 33 , , 33.3 , , .447 , , .415 , , .811 , , 4.5 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, 26 , , 20 , , 29.3 , , .426 , , .341 , , .847 , , 4.7 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 29.9 , , .505 , , .457 , , .818 , , 5.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 16.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 135 , , 90 , , 25.4 , , .456 , , .405 , , .817 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.2

Personal life

Johnson is

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. When the national anthem is played before games, he recites Psalm 23. In Phoenix he also wore the jersey number 23 in part because of Psalm 23. Johnson's brother, Donovan “Puff” Johnson, plays basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Johnson's mother, a

Croatian American Croatian Americans or Croat Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Croatian ancestry. In 2012, there were 414,714 American citizens of Croat or Croatian descent living in the United States as per revised 2010 United States Census ...

, is a school nurse. This inspired Johnson to give out special appreciation to the healthcare workers and their families on their February 7, 2021 home game against the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, the Suns' first home game since March 8, 2020 to have fans enter their arena after dealing with the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioPittsburgh Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Cameron 1996 births Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players American men's basketball players American people of Croatian descent Basketball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Brooklyn Nets players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Moon Township, Pennsylvania Phoenix Suns players Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Power forwards Small forwards United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century American sportsmen African-American Catholics