amir johnson

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Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.comWhen Amir Johnson is on the court, his effort isn’t ever doubted. Johnson has become one of the most important players for the Toronto Raptors because of his willingness to do —and recognize — whatever is needed from him. 

“When [Amir] gets going, everybody [gets excited],” Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan said. “He’s our heart and soul.”

With Johnson, the most important task facing Toronto’s coaching and support staff is keeping him on the floor. Notorious for playing through injuries, Johnson has been plagued by recurring ankle sprains. In an effort to get his body right for this season, Johnson spent a chunk of his summer in Santa Barbara, Calif., joining Patrick Patterson at P3 — Peak Performance Project — learning how to correct things that were putting his body at a greater risk.

At P3, sports scientists and doctors are dedicated to gathering extensive information on each athlete to determine problem areas and help create a personalized training regimen to improve them. 

“Everything we do is about movement,” Marcus Elliott, founder and director of P3, said. “We assess these guys when we’re putting them in a 3D-motion analysis lab. Studying everything about how they move, create force, and how they operate in a performance environment similar to a basketball court.”

Patterson was effusively detailed in his praise for the training centre.

“They have a specific area that’s a building that’s for athlete training, non-basketball stuff,” Patterson said. “You’re there every day then after that a trainer goes to a basketball court and you do basketball. They have a foot specialist, doctors, all types of specialists there to help get your injuries healed and 100% percent. 

“They definitely pick out and pinpoint each problem area you have and make it better.”

The problem areas for Johnson were obvious. Years of rolling his ankles — and playing on bad sprains — had left them weak. P3’s testing revealed that Johnson was landing on his toes, increasing his risk of sprains.

It was Patterson’s second summer with P3. The longer a player works with them, the more detailed their folder becomes.

“The first thing [they] do is test you to see physically, everything you have,” Patterson said. “They put you in this video game costume and they tell you if you have progressed or if you have had not had progress during the year. They tell you what your weaknesses are, [as well as] your strengths they want you to improve on. You tell them what your problem areas are and from day one they help you hone in on that.”

After sharing the data with Johnson and explaining the importance of landing with his feet in dorsiflex position (landing on his feet rather than toes), P3 worked with him to get him comfortable with learning how to plant his feet after a jump. While it sounds like a simple tweak, the payoff could be huge.

Johnson showed everyone the bounce in his step during Toronto’s season opening victory against the Atlanta Hawks with a 16-point, 10-rebound, four-block performance. Known for easing his way into the things, Johnson’s game looked regular-season ready.

“It feels solid,” Johnson said. “Maybe not stamina-wise, not all the way there [yet], but physical wise, strength wise, I feel solid. That stamina’s going to pick up.”

He feels good and the results are undeniable.

“His lower body power is up about 12 percent which is meaningful,” Elliott said. “That means he’s jumping another three inches. His acceleration is slightly better, too. His lateral movement has improved. All of those performance pieces are important, but the biggest piece is keeping him on the court.”

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey wasn’t expecting such a spirited performance on opening night from his 10-year veteran, but was thrilled to see the rewards of an offseason focusing in on attention to detail.

“He’s always got some nicks,” Casey said on Thursday. “That’s why you love him so much, because he’s always a warrior and plays through all of that. Last night was a product of him feeling good about himself. His body feeling good.”

Now that he’s away from Santa Barbara and daily sessions with the specialists, Johnson knows the key to continued improvement is commitment.

“It’s just [about] maintenance,” Johnson said. “After the season I went to go see three three doctors to ask if I needed surgery. They said I didn't really need it. I went ahead and made sure I did the right stuff [with P3] to make sure my ankles were strong. I did that all summer and I feel good.”

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Raptors Banking On Big Payoff From Improved Movement

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Raptors Top 10: Amir Johnson

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Thursday, June 19th marked the 24th anniversary of Nelson Mandela first coming to Toronto to bring his message of change. Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri did not let the day pass without paying tribute to his hero.

In the afternoon, Ujiri, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, Amir Johnson and former NBA great Dikembe Mutombo visited Nelson Mandela Park Public School to spread Mandela’s message.

Johnson — who was pleased to inform reporters he did not need offseason surgery on his ankle— shared a story about Mutombo blocking one of his shots as a rookie and delivering his classic finger wag. He was also touched by the reception from the children as the group entered the gymnasium.

“It was very inspirational,” Johnson said. “Very inspiring to hear Masai, Mutombo speak.

“I’m still kind of overwhelmed myself at how many people look up to me, when the kids are screaming. It’s a very big ordeal.”

Later in the evening, each attended Ujiri’s ‘Madiba: An Evening Honouring Nelson Mandela’ benefit. The event, hosted in Toronto’s Distillery District, paid tribute to the life and legacy of the former South African president.

“It’s special to me in my heart because I’ve met him a couple of times and he dedicated his life,” Ujiri said. “He was the father of Africa and I am one of the millions of sons.”

The guest list for Thursday’s benefit included DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Toronto FC’s Jermain Defoe, and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Luol Deng. Aloe Blacc performed and Wolf Blitzer co-hosted the event which raised funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Ujiri’s Giants of Africa foundation.

Related: Watch Red Carpet Video From The Madiba Tribute Event

Also in attendance were Nelson Mandela Foundation chief executive Sello Hatang, NBA Africa vice-president and managing director Amadou Gallo Fall and South African anti-apartheid activist Tokyo Sexwale.

As people floated along the red carpet, the vibe was a positive one in celebration of Mandela’s greatness.

“I have to give back,” Ujiri said. “For me, it would be a failure if I could not give back.”

Lowry called Ujiri a great man and spoke of how the sport of basketball has changed his life. He said there was zero hesitation about attending when Ujiri extended the invitation his way.

“He’s the most upfront, honest guy you’re going to deal with,” Lowry said. “He’s very vocal but he knows how to get his point across at the same time by not screaming and yelling.”

MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke had similar praise for the dedication his general manager has to his native Africa.

“[He] amazes me with his heart, his commitment, his thoughts and prayers that continue to go back to his roots, and for the trials and tribulations that many in South Africa still go through every day,” Leiweke said.

Defoe chatted about England’s World Cup loss on the red carpet, but grew serious when speaking about Mandela's legacy, calling him an angel who wanted to make change and help others.

Now in a position to effect change, Ujiri has continued to speak out about what is important to him. Since founding Giants of Africa in 2003, Ujiri has been committed to using basketball as a tool to help empower youth in Africa. 

Ujiri spoke of Mandela’s message of kindness and of the importance of giving back to children to create a brighter future.

“The more you give, the more you grow,” Ujiri said.

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Ujiri Hosts Star-Studded Day Of Tribute To Life Of Mandela

By now, tales of Amir Johnson’s philanthropy shouldn’t come as a surprise. Whether it’s handing out Drake CD’s out in Yonge-Dundas Square or taking his biggest fans to Medieval Times for the fourth edition of “I Roll With Amir”, Johnson has consistently given back to his adopted home city.

Amir extended that range a little further on Wednesday night, as he headed to Hamilton to cook and serve meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in the Southern Ontario city. Learn more about the outstanding Meals That Heal program and check out photos from Amir’s amazing gesture below.

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Amir Johnson With An Assist For Families In Hamilton

Raptors gave them something to talk about. Fans gave them something to talk about. That's a wrap on the incredible season that was but the power of #WeTheNorth isn't going anywhere. #RTZ

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#RTZ Digital Rundown: Raptors vs. Nets – Game 7

Mixed within the madness of a smooth sailing turned stormy Game 5 run for the Raptors was this historic fact:

The original record was set during the Raptors and Sixers playoff meeting in 2001.

Amir Johnson had just celebrated his 14th birthday, just prior to his Westchester High basketball days. Today he turns 27.

Janet Jackson's 'All for You' topped the Billboard charts.

Kyle Lowry was apparently on an outdoor court in North Philadelphia when shots rang out, the Bulldog status beginning at a young age.

DeMar DeRozan was in grade six in Compton, California, which he claims was when he performed his first dunk.

Last night at Air Canada Centre, with four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Kyle Lowry drained a 3-point shot to hit the 26-point spread. The win gave the Raptors a 3-2 lead on the series.

May 11, 2001 at Air Canada Centre, with 45 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Morris Peterson drained a 3-point shot to hit the 26-point spread. The win gave the Raptors a 2-1 lead on the series which ran through seven games.

'I remember my first playoff series coming to the game and they said it was going to be exciting and it was just, I mean, it felt like the roof was going off the building...' - Mo Pete
He reminisces with former teammates about the playoffs in Open Gym.

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Throwback Thursday: Raptors Hit Playoff Lead of 26 - Now and Then.

Thousands of Raptors fans will make their way tonight to Air Canada Centre to cheer on their Atlantic Division champions – from outside the arena. Through the first four games of their 2014 NBA Playoff series versus the Brooklyn Nets, Maple Leaf Square – adjacent to Air Canada Centre – has seen increasingly larger crowds gather for Raptors playoff viewing parties. Sunday saw the largest crowd yet with an estimate 4,500 fans attending the Party in the Square presented by Bell to watch Game Four on the Bremner video screen.

“The support for the Raptors this season in Toronto, and across Canada, has highlighted the fact that this is one of the most passionate markets in the NBA, and in my mind, this is just the first step in what we can accomplish,” said Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. “Together with our fans and our partners, we are working to build a consistent playoff contender so that we can look forward to this electric environment each and every year.”

Coming off a record-setting 48-win regular season, the heightened appetite for Toronto Raptors during their playoff run is evident across the board – on social media, in sales, sponsorship and on television. Some of the highlights include:

The first four games of Toronto’s NBA Playoffs telecasts on TSN are averaging 640,000 Viewers 2+. The average reach of the games is at 2,859,000 and the average peak audience is 1,213,000. Game Four, with 885,000 viewers, marked the highest Toronto Raptors NBA Playoffs audience on any Specialty Network. The previous high was Game 5 vs. the Detroit Pistons in the 2002 NBA Playoffs, which also aired on TSN (612,000).

The Raptors will continue their playoff push as they host the Brooklyn Nets tonight at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on TSN and TSN 1050.

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Raptors Record-Setting Season On The Court Produces Record Results Off The Court As Well

The see-saw series heads back north of border tied at two wins a piece for the Raptors and Nets. What a scene of #WeTheNorth pride both in Brooklyn and on home turf in  Jurassic Park. #VictoryBaby

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#RTZ Digital Rundown: Raptors @ Nets – Game 4

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