Player Bio

James Patrick Johnson was born in 1987 in Brooklyn, New York. The son of Willie and Vi Johnson, he is one of nine children. Johnson has six brothers and two sisters. Johnson's father is a seven-time world kickboxing champion, while his mother is a five-time kickboxing nationals champion. James holds a second-degree black belt, and he fought in his first mixed martial arts bout at age 18, winning in 97 seconds. Johnson has fought MMA matches in three different states and holds an undefeated record. He attended high school at Cheyenne East in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He played his collegiate ball at Wake Forest University. Follow Johnson on Instagram (@james16johnson_) and Twitter (iamjj16). Johnson joined Jeff Teague in the 2007 Demon Deacon recruiting class to give Wake Forest some power in the ACC. The 6-foot-8 forward started as a freshman and quickly gave the team a post presence. He averaged 14.6 points and 8.1 rebounds and did not slouch on defense with 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. Despite its youth, the team was competitive in conference play until a late four-game losing streak. Johnson was named to the ACC All-Freshman and All-ACC Third Teams. Johnson produced similar numbers as a sophomore and the team was much more successful. The forward averaged 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals and was once again honored with an All-ACC Third Team. The Demon Deacons went 11-5 in ACC play and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Johnson produced 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, but Wake Forest was upset by Cleveland State in the Big Dance. The forward declared for the 2009 NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was chosen 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls.