Dakari Naeem Johnson (born September 22, 1995) 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 Changsha Wantian Yongsheng of the National Basketball League, the Second tier of professional basketball in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. 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

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

High school career

Johnson first attended St. Patrick High School in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private college preparatory school in Montverde, Florida, United States, located in the Greater Orlando area. The school is widely known for its athletic programs, particularly soccer and basketball. History The school ...

, Johnson followed his coach, where he had to sit out the 2011–12 season due to the transfer. Because of his excellent grades, Johnson decided to reclassify, thus making the 2012–13 season his final and senior season at the high school level. He ended up averaging 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game as a senior. His senior year he garnered

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

Second-Team for his success. He subsequently earned selection to the

2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star game, All-star basketball game that was played on April 3, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It is the 36th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high sc ...

and

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

. Considered a five-star recruit by

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

, Johnson was ranked as the No. 2 center in the nation in 2013.

College career

As a freshman at

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

in 2013–14, Johnson spent the season backing up teammate

Julius Randle Julius Deion Randle (born November 29, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Team, he was a ...

and averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 39 games. As a sophomore the following season, he again played back-up, this time to freshman big man

Karl-Anthony Towns Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995), nicknamed “KAT”, and “The Big Bodega”, is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college baske ...

and junior

Willie Cauley-Stein Willie Trill Cauley-Stein (born Willie Durmond Cauley Jr.; August 18, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Nanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball with ...

. He again appeared in 39 games in 2014–15 and averaged slightly higher numbers with 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. On April 9, 2015, Johnson declared for the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. He was joined alongside fellow Kentucky teammates in

Aaron Harrison Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Diablos Rojos del México of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2013 and pla ...

, Andrew Harrison, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein,

Trey Lyles Trey Anthony Lyles (born November 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Utah Jazz following his freshman season at the University of Ken ...

and

Devin Booker Devin Armani Booker (born October 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, ...

Professional career

Oklahoma City Blue (2015–2017)

On June 25, 2015, Johnson was selected by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

with the 48th overall pick in the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

. He later joined the Thunder for the

2015 NBA Summer League The 2015 NBA Summer League consisted of three professional sports, pro basketball sports league, leagues organized by the National Basketball Association, NBA: the Orlando Magic, Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas S ...

where he averaged 7.6 points and 8.6 rebounds in five games. On November 3, 2015, he was acquired by the

Oklahoma City Blue The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue compete in the NBA G League as members of the Western Conference. The Blue play their home games ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, the affiliate team of the Thunder. On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 110–104 loss to the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the po ...

, recording 16 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 33 minutes. Johnson appeared in all 50 games for the Blue in 2015–16, averaging 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. He subsequently earned NBA D-League All-Rookie Team honors. Johnson returned to the Blue for the 2016–17 season, and on February 6, 2017, he was named in the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2017 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2017–2018)

On July 22, 2017, Johnson signed with the

. He scored four points in his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, in the Thunder's 105–84 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 ...

. During his only season with the

, he started six games for the team where he replaced

Steven Adams Steven Funaki Paea He Ofa Ki Loa Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one season with the Wellington Saints, in 2011, Adam ...

. As the starting center for the team they went 5–1 in those games. Johnson was a plus-26 in point differential in those six games, including a plus-26 in rout to a victory against 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 ...

when Johnson held his own against

DeAndre Jordan Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball ...

. Johnson's averages for those six games were 15 minutes, 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 turnovers, 64.7 percent shooting and 60 percent foul shooting. On July 20, 2018, Johnson was traded to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

in exchange for

Rodney Purvis Rodney O'Keith Purvis (born February 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Cherno More Ticha of the Bulgarian National Basketball League. A shooting guard from Plymouth, North Carolina, he played college basketball for t ...

. Cash considerations were also sent to the Magic. On July 23, 2018, Johnson and the draft rights to Tyler Harvey were traded to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

in exchange for

Jarell Martin Jarell Martin (born May 24, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Suwon KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers basketball, LSU Tigers. Martin was ...

and cash considerations. On August 31, 2018, Johnson was waived by the

Qingdao Eagles (2018–2019)

On September 11, 2018, Johnson was reported to have signed with Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA).

Anuyi Wenyi (2019)

On August 23, 2019, Johnson was reported to have played for Anhui Wenyi of the National Basketball League (NBL) and returned with a championship and

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

honors.

Return to the Eagles (2019–2022)

In the 2019–20 season, Johnson averaged 23.7 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. On September 9, 2020, Johnson re-signed with Qingdao.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

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Playoffs

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Personal life

Dakari comes from a basketball family in Brooklyn, New York, where he is a third-generation basketball player. His family's basketball legacy started with his grandfather Leslie R. Campbell, best known as

Jitu Weusi Jitu Weusi (born Leslie R. Campbell; October 25, 1939 - May 22, 2013) was an American educator, education advocate, author, a community leader, writer, activist, mentor, jazz and art program promoter. He is one of the founders of the National Blac ...

, who played college basketball at

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

. His mother Makini Campbell also played at

, and his uncle Kojo Campbell played basketball at

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

. His brother

Kamani Johnson Kamani Kevin Ano Johnson (born March 10, 2000), is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Little Rock Trojans. Professional career Pa ...

played basketball at Arkansas-Little Rock before transferring to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. His cousin Michael Murray played college basketball at

Coppin State University Coppin State University (Coppin) is a public historically black university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland and a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Coppin State Univer ...

, where he was selected all-

MEAC The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern and the Mid-Atlantic United States. It participates in the Nation ...

his senior year. Most recently, Michael played professionally in Spain. Dakari is married to his long-term girlfriend Mercedes Johnson from Las Vegas, Nevada, who has been by his side since 2015. The couple got engaged in 2020 and have two children together.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Dakari 1995 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American men's basketball players Anhui Wenyi Basketball Club players Centers (basketball) Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Montverde Academy alumni Oklahoma City Blue players Oklahoma City Thunder draft picks Oklahoma City Thunder players Qingdao Eagles players Basketball players from Brooklyn The Patrick School alumni United States men's national basketball team players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen