.png) Johnson in 2024 | |
| No. 23 – Denver Nuggets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward /power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1996-03-03)March 3, 1996 (age 29) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2019: 1st round, 11th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2023 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2023–2025 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 2025–present | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Cameron Jordan Johnson (born March 3, 1996) is an American professionalbasketball player for theDenver Nuggets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for thePittsburgh Panthers and theNorth Carolina Tar Heels. Drafted by theMinnesota Timberwolves with the eleventh overall pick in the2019 NBA draft, Johnson was traded to thePhoenix Suns on draft night. During his sophomore season, he reached the2021 NBA Finals with the Suns. He spent three full seasons in Phoenix before being traded to theBrooklyn Nets in February 2023. After nearly three full seasons with Brooklyn, Johnson was traded to the Nuggets in 2025.
As a junior in high school, Johnson was a 6-foot-2 point guard before having a growth spurt. He graduated fromOur Lady of the Sacred Heart.[1] 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 withPittsburgh in April 2014.[2]
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.[3] As a redshirt sophomore at Pitt, Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game and hit 41.5% of his three-point attempts. Johnson graduated fromPittsburgh 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.[4] He cited uncertainty in coaching and a losing record as factors in his decision to transfer.
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 againstClemson.[5] After the season, Johnson underwent an arthroscopic hip procedure and announced his intention to return to North Carolina for his senior season.[6]
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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 [the] draft."[7] Johnson had several notable performances during his senior season. Playing againstWake 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.[8] AgainstrivalDuke inCameron Indoor Stadium, Johnson finished with 26 points in an 88–72 victory against the Blue Devils, then the nation's top-ranked team.[9] Against Clemson inLittlejohn Coliseum, Johnson made six three-pointers to finish with 19 points in a two-point victory.[10] After the conclusion of conference play, Johnson was named to the All-ACC first team.[11]
On June 20, 2019, theMinnesota Timberwolves drafted Johnson with the eleventh overall pick in the2019 NBA draft, then immediately traded him andDario Šarić to thePhoenix Suns forJarrett Culver, the sixth pick of the draft.[12] The trade was officially completed on July 6,[13] with the Suns later announcing that they had signed Johnson the same day.[14] On October 26, 2019, Johnson made his NBA debut coming off the bench in a 130–122 win over theLos Angeles Clippers.[15] On November 19, he scored a season-high 18 points in a 120–116 loss to theSacramento Kings. Johnson then matched his season-high on December 5 in a 139–132 overtime win over theNew Orleans Pelicans.[16]
Johnson had his first professional start with the team on February 10, 2020, against theLos Angeles Lakers.[17] 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 championToronto Raptors.[18] 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 theWashington Wizards.[19] 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 theDallas Mavericks.[20] 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 theIndiana Pacers.[21] Two days later, Johnson broke the franchise record previously set byWesley Person for the quickest player to score at least 100 three-pointers in a 119–112 win over theMiami Heat, reaching it in only 54 games played.[22][23] With Johnson starting for Phoenix, the Suns would have an 8–0 record in the2020 NBA Bubble as of August 13, having a winning streak of at least 7 games for the first time since March 2010.[24]
On December 27, 2020, Johnson matched his then career-high of 21 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over theSacramento Kings.[25] Johnson helped the Suns reach the2021 NBA Finals, but the Suns lost the series in 6 games to theMilwaukee Bucks.[26]
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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 theNew York Knicks.[27] He finished third inNBA Sixth Man of the Year voting, behind winnerTyler Herro andKevin Love.[28]
To start the 2022–23 season, Johnson was named the starting power forward for the Suns by head coachMonty Williams.[29] 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.[30]
On February 9, 2023, the Suns traded Johnson to theBrooklyn Nets, along withMikal Bridges,Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks, and a 2028 first-round pick swap, in exchange forKevin Durant andT. J. Warren.[31] Johnson made his Nets debut two days later, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 101–98 loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers.[32]
On July 6, 2023, Johnson re-signed with the Nets.[33]
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 theCharlotte Hornets.[34]
On July 8, 2025, Johnson was traded to theDenver Nuggets in exchange forMichael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick.[35]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Phoenix | 57 | 9 | 22.0 | .435 | .390 | .807 | 3.3 | 1.2 | .6 | .4 | 8.8 |
| 2020–21 | Phoenix | 60 | 11 | 24.0 | .420 | .349 | .847 | 3.3 | 1.4 | .6 | .3 | 9.6 |
| 2021–22 | Phoenix | 66 | 16 | 26.2 | .460 | .425 | .860 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .9 | .2 | 12.5 |
| 2022–23 | Phoenix | 17 | 16 | 25.3 | .474 | .455 | .818 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .9 | .4 | 13.9 |
| Brooklyn | 25 | 25 | 30.8 | .468 | .372 | .851 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .3 | 16.6 | |
| 2023–24 | Brooklyn | 58 | 47 | 27.6 | .446 | .391 | .789 | 4.3 | 2.4 | .8 | .3 | 13.4 |
| 2024–25 | Brooklyn | 57 | 57 | 31.6 | .475 | .390 | .893 | 4.3 | 3.4 | .9 | .4 | 18.8 |
| Career | 340 | 181 | 26.5 | .453 | .392 | .851 | 3.9 | 2.0 | .8 | .3 | 12.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Phoenix | 21 | 0 | 21.1 | .500 | .446 | .906 | 3.1 | .8 | .9 | .2 | 8.2 |
| 2022 | Phoenix | 13 | 3 | 24.6 | .465 | .373 | .813 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .4 | .1 | 10.8 |
| 2023 | Brooklyn | 4 | 4 | 38.0 | .509 | .429 | .857 | 5.8 | 2.8 | .8 | .3 | 18.5 |
| Career | 38 | 7 | 24.1 | .489 | .416 | .859 | 3.6 | 1.2 | .7 | .2 | 10.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh | 8 | 0 | 14.4 | .394 | .348 | .500 | 1.1 | .5 | .1 | .4 | 4.5 |
| 2015–16 | Pittsburgh | 32 | 1 | 11.7 | .397 | .375 | .808 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | .2 | 4.8 |
| 2016–17 | Pittsburgh | 33 | 33 | 33.3 | .447 | .415 | .811 | 4.5 | 2.3 | .9 | .3 | 11.9 |
| 2017–18 | North Carolina | 26 | 20 | 29.3 | .426 | .341 | .847 | 4.7 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | 12.4 |
| 2018–19 | North Carolina | 36 | 36 | 29.9 | .505 | .457 | .818 | 5.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | .3 | 16.9 |
| Career | 135 | 90 | 25.4 | .456 | .405 | .817 | 4.1 | 1.8 | .8 | .3 | 11.2 | |
Johnson isCatholic. 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.[36]
Johnson's brother,Donovan “Puff” Johnson, plays basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions.[37] Johnson's mother, aCroatian American,[38] 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 theBoston Celtics, the Suns' first home game since March 8, 2020 to have fans entertheir arena after dealing with theCOVID-19 pandemic.[39]
