Jerry Jamar Johnson (born April 23, 1982) is an American-born naturalised

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

i 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 who last played for Neptūnas Klaipėda of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

. Playing as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

, he played college basketball at Rider, earning a slew of personal awards. Since 2011 he has been playing for

Astana Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan. With a population of 1,423,726 within the city limits, it is the second-largest in the country after Almaty, which had been the capital until 1997. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim ...

, he later became a citizen of the country, playing for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

College career

The

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...

native played at J. P. McCaskey High School from 1997 to 2001, scoring a school record 1,792 points. Johnson was recruited by the Rider to play in the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...

(MAAC) of the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

. He was predicted to struggle to in obtaining sufficient SAT scores to be academically eligible, reportedly only receiving a scholarship offer from Rider. In his freshman season in 2001–02 he earned the MAAC Rookie of the Year title, also being selected to the All-MAAC third team. For his sophomore season, despite adapting to a move from

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

, he was selected to the All-MAAC First Team, ditto in his junior season. After the 2004–05 season, he was selected to the All-MAAC First Team for the third consecutive time, also earning an MAAC tournament First Team selection after Rider reached the final. To cap off the season, the senior was elected male Rider Athlete of the Year. Johnson finished his Broncs career with 2,047 points – second best career record for the program – in 116 games (17.6 per game, fifth best), also adding 421 assists (fifth best) at an average of 3.6 (seventh best) whilst his 102 three-pointers in 2004–05 established a Rider record. A three-time team MVP, he was inducted into the Rider Hall of Fame in 2013.

Professional career

Johnson participated in the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft (sports), draft camps, the other being the Orlando pre-Draft (sport ...

but went undrafted in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

, an

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

participation with 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 ...

was also unsuccessful. Johnson started his career with Polpharma Starogard Gdańsk in the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

, averaging 20 points and 5.8 assists in more than 36 minutes per game. After an unsuccessful trial with Greek side

Panellinios Panellinios G.S. (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γ.Σ.), full name, Panellinios Gymnastikos Syllogos (Greek: Πανελλήνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος), is a Greek multi-sport club that is located in Athens and was founded i ...

the next summer, he moved to

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

side Mersin BB. He posted 10.9 points and 3.17 assists (16th best) in nearly 27 minutes on average in the league. He was contracted to Chypriot side

APOEL APOEL FC (; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") is a Cypriot professio ...

during the 2007 offseason, before joining French

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

side

Stade Clermontois BA Stade Clermontois Basket Auvergne was a French professional basketball club based in Clermont-Ferrand. The team was active in the second division LNB Pro B for several years, as well as some years in the first division LNB Pro A. In 2015, the club ...

in October. The side struggled despite Johnson contributing 15.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, with a relegation mathematically confirmed in April 2008, he moved to

Belgian League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

side

Spirou Charleroi Spirou Basket, commonly known simply as Spirou, is a Belgian professional basketball club that is located in Charleroi. The club competes in the BNXT League, the highest tier of basketball in Belgium. The club's home arena is the Spiroudome which ...

that same month. He was a key factor in Charleroi's league title in 2008, contributing 9.5 points and 3 assists in 11 games, following which his contract was extended for two years. He was a crucial contributor to the Belgians run to the European second tier EuroCup Last 16 contributing 14.9 points (on 45.5% from the three point line) and 3.4 assists in 10 games. The

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

side would again win the league in 2009, adding the

Belgian Cup The Belgian Cup (; ; ) is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Royal Belgian FA. The competition started in 1908 with provincial selections as the "Belgian Provinces Cup". Starting from 1912 only actual clubs were allowed ...

as well. In October 2009 he suffered a knee injury that kept him out of for nearly two months, he only played two EuroCup games that season. The side would add a third consecutive league title in 2010. After the expiry of his contract, Johnson moved to Lithuanian league side

Lietuvos rytas ''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper. History and profile "Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is ...

also playing in the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

, Europe's elite competition, and the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. However, after playing a handful of games in the domestic league and United League, Johnson suffered a foot injury in October that sidelined him for more than a month. After playing a few more games for Lietuvos rytas (none in the EuroLeague), Johnson returned to the Turkish league in January 2011, signing with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

for the rest of the season. He contributed 11.6 points and 3.2 assists in 23 minutes per game as Galatasaray reached the championship finals, losing to Fenerbahçe despite his 19 points and 8 assists in the decisive game. He also played for

Guaros de Lara The Guaros de Lara is a Venezuelan professional basketball club, that is based in Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela. Guaros de Lara BBC has existed as a club in various different forms since 1983. It has existed in its current form since 2003. The c ...

in 2016, Turkish team

Büyükçekmece Basketbol Büyükçekmece Basketbol, mostly known as ONVO Büyükçekmece for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional basketball club based in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul which plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Their home arena is Gazanfer B ...

for the 2016–2017 season and spent the 2017–2018 season with Neptūnas, helping the depleted team win 3rd place in the Lithuanian league.

BC Astana

During the next off-season his agent secured him a contract, to play for newly formed

in both the Kazakhstan Basketball League and the VTB United League, he signed a one-year contract in June 2011. In his first year in

, the American won both the domestic league and

cup A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...

, in the

2011–12 VTB United League The VTB United League 2011–12 was the third complete season of the VTB United League, which is Northern Europe and Eastern Europe's top-tier level men's professional club basketball competition. The tournament featured 18 teams, from 10 countri ...

Astana finished 7th of their group with a 7–9 record, he scored 14 points to help the side achieve their first victory in the league against Žalgiris. The now 30-year-old extended his contract for two years in the summer of 2012. The 2012–13 season proved a repeat domestically, with Astana again achieving a domestic double, with Johnson earning All-tournament team selections on both occasions. He was also an important contributor to the Kazakhstani side reaching the

VTB United League playoffs VTB Bank (; formerly known as ''Vneshtorgbank'', , lit. 'International Trade Bank') is a Russian majority state-owned bank headquartered in various federal districts of Russia; its legal address is registered as St. Petersburg. As of 2022, o ...

in only its second participation in the league. The next season, Johnson had an injury scare in the second United League game of the season after hurting his back, however he came back the next game to pick up a Week MVP award. He posted 14.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 7.5 assists, leading the league in assists and being selected as one of the contenders for the season MVP award. Now captaining the squad, Johnson was a "driving force" for Astana, leading them to another playoff appearance and domestic double (again a First Team selection in both the Kazakhstan league and cup). In the 2014–15 season, the guard again led the United League in assists, earning another MVP nomination as he contributed 16.2 points and 8.3 assists. He was crucial in Astana's third consecutive playoff run, though they again stalled in the first round, heavily beaten by perennial champions

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

, with his 16 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in game 3 not enough. That season also marked the European debut of Astana, in the third tier

2014–15 EuroChallenge The 2014–15 EuroChallenge was the 12th and last edition of Europe's third-tier level transnational competition for men's professional basketball clubs. The winner and the runner-up of this competition earned a place at the group stage of next ...

, he led his team to the Last 16 of the competition, with a Week 2 MVP performance of 29 points (7 for 9 in three-point shots) and 13 assists. He also was selected in the All-Final Four Team of the Kazakhstani league as Astana won its fourth consecutive title, though they did win the cup. In June 2015, Johnson renewed his contract until the end of the 2015–16 season.

National team career

After two years and as many national championships and cups in Kazakhstan, Johnson was offered Kazakhstani citizenship in 2013, in order to play for the senior Kazakhstan national team at the

2013 FIBA Asia Championship The 2013 in sports, 2013 FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that served as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The tourna ...

. He accepted the offer, becoming the first naturalised player for Kazakhstan, he was reunited with

head coach

Matteo Boniciolli Matteo Boniciolli (born 18 April 1962) is an Italian basketball coach of Scafati Basket in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He has been a head coach since 1999, guiding several clubs in Italy and abroad to titles, also having taken charge ...

on the side. Though he was bothered by niggles to the shoulder and hamstring, Johnson posted a team second 12.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team high 5 assists per game as Kazakhstan started the tournament with 3 wins before losing the rest of their games, including a 58–88 loss to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

which saw Johnson restricted to 8 points. "He hurt his right shoulder in a bumping accident during a practice game with the PBA team San Mig Coffee and there is pain when he goes up for a three-pointer," said Boniciolli. "Jerry's hamstring is also bothering him. That's why he didn't play against Iran. Our medical staff is working on him. We want him to be at a 100 percent." He was unable to represent Kazakhstan in the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

, as

Olympic Council of Asia The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a sports governing body, governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was elected as President of the OCA on 8 July 2023. However, on 3 ...

rules required three years of residency.

Honours

Individual

Professional

* Kazakhstan League: All-League Team ( 2013, 2014), All-Final Four Team (

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

) *

Kazakhstan Cup The Kazakhstan Cup is the main Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Kazakhstan Football (soccer), football, run by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The tournament was initially founded in 1936 as a competition for club ...

: All-Kazakhstan Cup Team 2013, 2014 *

VTB United League Hall of Fame The VTB United League Hall of Fame (, VTBHOF) is a hall of fame that honours individuals that have made important contributions to the premiere professional basketball league in Russia, the VTB United League, through their sporting contributions i ...

: 2019

College

* Rider University Broncs: Hall of Fame (inducted

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

), (Athlete of the Year (

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

) *All-

: First Team ( 2003, 2004, 2005), Third Team (

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

) *Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: Rookie of the Year (

) * Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament: All-Tournament Team (

)

Team

Club

* Kazakhstan League: champion ( 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) *

: winner ( 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) *

: champion ( 2008, 2009, 2010) *

: winner (

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

)

References

External links