Marques Kevin Johnson (born February 8, 1956) is an American former professionalbasketball player and character actor who is abasketball analyst for theMilwaukee Bucks onFanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. He played as asmall forward in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from 1977 to 1989, where he was a five-timeAll-Star. He played the majority of his career with the Bucks.
Johnson was aLos Angeles City Section player of the year in high school before playingcollege basketball for theUCLA Bruins, winning anational championship in 1975. In hissenior year, he won multiplenational player of the year awards. Johnson was the third overall pick in the1977 NBA draft by theMilwaukee Bucks. He played seven seasons with Milwaukee before finishing his NBA career with theLos Angeles Clippers and theGolden State Warriors.
Johnson was born on February 8, 1956, inNatchitoches, Louisiana. The family moved to California when he was five to avoid racism and segregation, which Johnson himself had experienced. He was raised inSouth Los Angeles. Inspired byJackie Robinson, Johnson's parents believed that being able to attend theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, would allow their children to achieve. They were both schoolteachers. His mother earned aMaster's degree inlibrary science from theUniversity of Southern California. His father was also an assistant basketball coach atCrenshaw High School.[1][2][3]
Johnson attended elementary school with futureNational Football LeagueHall of Fame receiverJames Lofton.[2][4] At 11 years old, the family moved toWindsor Hills, where some of the kids he played sports with were the children of celebrities.[2] He played high school basketball atCrenshaw High School inCrenshaw, Los Angeles, under head coach Willie West (who won double digit city and state championships), winning theLos Angeles City Section 4-A Division Player of the Year in 1973.[1][5][6] In 2015, he was selected to theCalifornia Interscholastic Federation (CIF) 100th Anniversary Winter All-Century Team.[7]
In 1973, Johnson was offered a scholarship to play basketball at UCLA.[3] He was recruited directly byNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame CoachJohn Wooden, who called Johnson on the telephone 10 minutes after the1973 NCAA championship game had ended in a dominant win for UCLA, and asked if Johnson wanted to be part of the team next year; to which Johnson said yes.[8][9]
Johnson attended UCLA, playing under Wooden for two seasons (1973-1975) andCollege Basketball Hall of Fame CoachGene Bartow for two seasons (1975-1977).[10][11][12][13] He was selected Division I second-teamAll American by theNational Association of Basketball Coaches in his junior year (1975–76), and became a consensus first-team All-American player his senior year (1976–77).[14][15]
In his freshman year though, he was joining a team that had been 60–0 the previous two years, and had future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame playersBill Walton andJamaal "Silk" Wilkes.[16][17] During his first week of practice, Wilkes blocked all of his shots, which brought him to tears when he told his parents about his difficulties. His father let him know Wilkes was the best forward in the country, and Johnson would be fine.[2][3]
In his sophomore season in1974–75, playingforward, Johnson helped to lead the Bruins to Coach John Wooden's 10th andfinal NCAA Division I men's basketball championship. He was third on the team in both scoring and rebounding.[18][8] Wooden retired from coaching after the season, and Gene Bartow became the head coach.[19] Johnson continued to excel, earning the first of his two first-teamAll-Pac-8 selections as a junior in 1976.[20] As a junior, he was second on the team in scoring average (17.3 points per game) and first in rebounding (9.4 per game).[19] He made the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 1976, although UCLA lost in the final four to the eventual championIndiana Hoosiers.[21][22]
Johnson averaged 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in his senior season (1976-1977), leading the team in both categories.[23] He won the inauguralJohn R. Wooden Award[24] in addition to theNaismith College Player of the Year andUSBWA College Player of the Year as the nation's top collegiate basketball player.[25]
Johnson also majored in Theater Arts at UCLA, having enjoyed starring in musical theater in high school, and acting at UCLA (later working as an actor professionally). He also took a newly offered sportscasting class while a student at UCLA, and hosted a non-sports campus television show.[1][6]
In 1988, he was inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.[26] TheBruins retired his No. 54 jersey in 1996.[27][26] In 2008, he was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor.[28] In 2013, he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[29]
Johnson was selected third overall in the1977 NBA draft by theMilwaukee Bucks, coached byDon Nelson.[30][31] Johnson averaged 19.5 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game in his first professional season.[31] He was named to the1978 NBA All-Rookie Team,[32] and placed second inNBA Rookie of the Year voting behindWalter Davis.[33]
In his second season in1978–79, Johnson was the NBA's third leading scorer (25.6 PPG), behindGeorge Gervin (29.6) andLloyd Free (28.8).[34] He was named a starter, and played in the1979 NBA All-Star Game[35] and was named to theAll-NBA First Team.[36] That season, in what was perhaps one of the best games of his career, on December 12, 1978, Johnson scored 40 points (on a remarkable 74% shooting percentage) and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 120–114 win against thePhoenix Suns.[37] However, despite having the 6th highest offensive efficiency rating and 13th highest defensive rating of any team, the Bucks would miss the playoffs with a 38–44 record.[38] It would be the last time the Bucks missed the playoffs during Johnson's tenure.[39][40]
The following season, on February 27, 1980, Johnson recorded a triple double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 119–110 victory against thePhoenix Suns.[41] During that year's playoffs, Johnson averaged 19.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in 43.3 minutes a game,[40] in a tightly contested 7-game series loss to theSeattle SuperSonics (it was the last season Milwaukee was in the Western Conference, moving to the Eastern Conference Central Division in 1980-81).[42][43][44]
On November 2, 1980, Johnson scored 40 points, along with 7 rebounds and 7 assists, to lead the Bucks to a 135–121 victory against theIndiana Pacers. The feat was especially impressive as key teammatesJunior Bridgeman andSidney Moncrief were limited with injuries, and only played 19 and 20 minutes respectively.[45]
On May 2, 1983, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Johnson scored 33 points and grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 4–0 sweep ofLarry Bird and theBoston Celtics.[46] Despite this, the Bucks would fall to the eventual championPhiladelphia 76ers, led byNBA MVPMoses Malone, during the next round in 5 games, in what were contested matchups.[47] It was the only series Philadelphia did not win in 4 games that postseason.
Johnson claims to have coined the termpoint forward, a position he played out of necessity in 1984. During the1984 playoffs,Milwaukee became short onpoint guards due to injuries. Nelson instructed Johnson to set up the offense from his forward position. Johnson responded, "OK, so instead of a point guard, I'm a point forward".[48]
Johnson helped lead Milwaukee to several division titles (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984). Johnson and the Bucks reached as far as the Eastern Conference Finals twice, in 1983 and again in 1984.[39] The team had trouble with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs once they moved to the Eastern Conference.[49] While with the Bucks, he was first-team All NBA in 1978-79, and second-team All NBA in 1979-80 and 1980–81; and was an All-Star four times, starting in 1979 and 1980.[36][40][50] During his seven year tenure with the Bucks, Johnson had 10,980 points, 3,923 rebounds, 1,934 assists, 697 steals, and 439 blocks. As of March 2019, these were all in the top 10 for the franchise’s career leaders.[51] He held out twice during his Bucks' career for a better contract than what the team offered.[51]
While on the Bucks, both Johnson and teammateMickey Johnson were the first two players in NBA history to have their full first and last names displayed on their jerseys, as they both shared the same first initial and last name.[52]
The Bucks retired his number 8 in 2019.[51] When asked about his favorite experience on the Bucks upon the announcement of his jersey being retired in 2019, Johnson said “It was a compilation of everything. It was getting there in 1977, 21 years old out of L.A., stars in my eyes, and thoughts of being a great NBA player was my goal. And winning a championship in Milwaukee. But what happened was, I come to Milwaukee, and we’ve got this nucleus of just great young talent from all sorts of solid programs: myself andDave Meyers from UCLA; andJunior Bridgeman from Louisville;Quinn Buckner, who we lost to twice in ’76 on that great Indiana team withKent Benson;Brian Winters from South Carolina. So this great youth movement in Milwaukee with an opportunity to build and grow together.”[2]
In the 1984 off-season, Nelson – who was also Bucks general manager – traded Johnson, forward-guardJunior Bridgeman, forwardHarvey Catchings and cash to theLos Angeles Clippers in exchange for forwardTerry Cummings, and guardsCraig Hodges andRicky Pierce.[53] This was a homecoming for Johnson, as he grew up and attended high school just a few miles from the Clippers' home atLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. In his first season with the Clippers in 1984–85, he had career lows in scoring and shooting.[40] They moved him toguard in 1985–86, and he bounced back with an All-Star season and was named theNBA Comeback Player of the Year, ironically winning the award over Walter Davis who earlier had bested him for Rookie of the Year.[54][55]
The Clippers struggled to win, never winning more than 32 games in a season during Johnson's three years, and going 12–70 his final year (the fourth worst record in NBA history).[56][57] Johnson later said that playing for those losing Clippers teams "kind of wore you down and made you feel like you were kind of theJV team in Los Angeles." Being named the team captain by head coachDon Chaney, a fellow Louisianan, was one of the few things that kept him from demanding a trade, and he stood by Chaney when Chaney's job was threatened.[58][59] On November 20, 1986, Johnson suffered a ruptured disk in his neck after colliding with teammateBenoit Benjamin during a game in Dallas.[60] The following year, he was in a contract dispute with the Clippers who had stopped paying his salary, claiming he was permanently disabled.[61]
After a couple of unsuccessful comebacks, Johnson joined theGolden State Warriors in October 1989.[62][63][64] He appeared in 10 games with theWarriors before being waived on December 1 the same year.[65]
After being waived by the Warriors, Johnson signed withFantoni Udine in the Italy where he went on to average 23.6 points per game.[66]
Johnson has five sons,Kris, Josiah, Joshua, Moriah and Cyrus, and two daughters, Jasmine and Shiloh.[1] Johnson's child, Marques Kevin Johnson Jr., was 15-months-old when he fell into the family swimming pool on May 15, 1987, and drowned.[67]
Kris, like his father, played basketball at Crenshaw High and UCLA, where he was player of the year in high school and an NCAA champion in 1995.[68][69] Johnson and Kris are the first father–son combo to be honored as Los Angeles City Section 4-A Player of the Year.[5][note 1] They are also one of four father-son duos to each win an NCAA basketball championship and the only ones to accomplish it at the same school.[note 2][71] In 2024, Johnson and Kris started a podcast for the Milwaukee Bucks called "Hear District".[72][73]
Josiah also played basketball at UCLA,[74] and later helped create theComedy Central show,The Legends of Chamberlain Heights.[75][76] He also became notable for viral Twitter comments on NBA plays.[77]
Josh played college basketball atWestern Oregon State University,[78] and is an actor.[69]
Moriah played basketball atTuskegee University,[79] where he also got aMaster's degree inoccupational therapy, and was an actor on theBET'sBaldwin Hills.[80]
Cyrus played basketball atSam Houston State University, and thenCalifornia State University, Los Angeles.[1][81][82]
Johnson also has two daughters. Jasmine is an accomplished tennis player.[1] Shiloh excels at golf and swimming, and at 15 years old, and 6 ft tall, has become a high school basketball player (as of 2024).[69]
During his early playing career, Johnson suffered with substance abuse issues. While on the Bucks, in 1982, Johnson was treated for cocaine addiction at a drug rehabilitation facility, and missed 18 games during his rehabilitation treatment.[83][51] After the death of his son, he again went through therapy for substance abuse, grief and other issues, which he has spoken about publicly.[84] In 2024, he was actively working to create a program in Milwaukee to help men struggling with substance abuse disorder, something he works to overcome in himself every day.[85]
Looking back on his transition from comparatively warm-weather southern California toWisconsin upon being drafted, Johnson said, “My first year — and I may get this conflated — but the first year was more snow than they’d had in 25 years. It was just snow, snow, snow until May, and then my second year was the coldest that it had been in 30 years… And everybody kept telling me that ‘This is really extreme. It’s bad, but it’s not really this bad.’ And you couldn't have told me different.”[86]
Following up on his UCLA experiences in the media, during his time as a player in Milwaukee he did some work for the localNBC television affiliate, including a piece on playing the Celtics and 76ers where he interviewedRed Auerbach andJulius Erving.[6]
As his playing career ended, Johnson got into the entertainment business, as he acted in small roles in many films, includingWhite Men Can't Jump,Love and Action in Chicago,Blue Chips, andForget Paris.[1] Johnson is still actively enhancing his creative roots, writing screenplays and short stories. His role in the aforementioned White Men Can't Jump as Raymond was praised, and Johnson claims fans still regularly quote the movie to him if they recognize him in public. DirectorRon Shelton called Johnson fabulous in his famous scene.[6][87][88]
Johnson was the early morning show co-host on the Clippers' flagship radio station,KFWB-AM in Los Angeles.[89][90][91]
Johnson served as acolor analyst for theSeattle SuperSonics in the late 1990s.[89][90] He was nationally onFox Sports andFox Sports 1 andNBA League Pass as a basketball analyst.[92]
Since 2015, Johnson has worked as both a full-time and part-time analyst forMilwaukee Bucks telecasts onFox Sports Wisconsin.[51] He worked with bothJim Paschke andGus Johnson.[90] In 2018, Johnson won anEmmy as top analyst in the Midwest-Region for his work broadcaster Bucks' games.[1]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977–78 | Milwaukee | 80 | — | 34.6 | .522 | — | .736 | 10.6 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 19.5 |
| 1978–79 | Milwaukee | 77 | — | 36.1 | .550 | — | .760 | 7.6 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 25.6 |
| 1979–80 | Milwaukee | 77 | — | 34.9 | .544 | .222 | .791 | 7.4 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .9 | 21.7 |
| 1980–81 | Milwaukee | 76 | — | 33.4 | .552 | .000 | .706 | 6.8 | 4.6 | 1.5 | .5 | 20.3 |
| 1981–82 | Milwaukee | 60 | 52 | 31.7 | .532 | .000 | .700 | 6.1 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .6 | 16.5 |
| 1982–83 | Milwaukee | 80 | 80 | 35.7 | .509 | .200 | .735 | 7.0 | 4.5 | 1.3 | .7 | 21.4 |
| 1983–84 | Milwaukee | 74 | 74 | 36.7 | .502 | .154 | .709 | 6.5 | 4.3 | 1.6 | .6 | 20.7 |
| 1984–85 | L.A. Clippers | 72 | 68 | 34.0 | .452 | .231 | .731 | 5.9 | 3.4 | 1.0 | .4 | 16.4 |
| 1985–86 | L.A. Clippers | 75 | 75 | 34.7 | .510 | .067 | .760 | 5.5 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .7 | 20.3 |
| 1986–87 | L.A. Clippers | 10 | 10 | 30.2 | .439 | .000 | .714 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .5 | 16.6 |
| 1989–90 | Golden State | 10 | 0 | 9.9 | .375 | .667 | .824 | 1.7 | .9 | .0 | .1 | 4.0 |
| Career | 691 | 359 | 34.3 | .518 | .152 | .739 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 1.3 | .8 | 20.1 | |
| All-Star | 5 | 2 | 21.2 | .314 | — | .750 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 6.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Milwaukee | 9 | — | 35.7 | .549 | — | .750 | 12.4 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 24.0 |
| 1980 | Milwaukee | 7 | — | 43.3 | .422 | .333 | .750 | 6.9 | 2.9 | .7 | .9 | 19.9 |
| 1981 | Milwaukee | 7 | — | 38.0 | .556 | .000 | .719 | 9.4 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 24.7 |
| 1982 | Milwaukee | 6 | — | 39.2 | .440 | .250 | .571 | 7.3 | 3.3 | 1.0 | .3 | 18.8 |
| 1983 | Milwaukee | 9 | — | 42.4 | .486 | .000 | .651 | 8.0 | 4.2 | .9 | .8 | 22.0 |
| 1984 | Milwaukee | 16 | — | 37.8 | .473 | .250 | .722 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 1.1 | .4 | 20.3 |
| Career | 54 | — | 39.1 | .489 | .231 | .701 | 7.9 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .8 | 21.5 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
