Anthony Johnson (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Mark Johnson is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who most recently played with the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

 of the NBA. Johnson is a 6'3" (1.91 m) point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

. He found success in pro basketball, becoming the first NBA D-League player to participate in a NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....

. A native of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, Johnson played college basketball at the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...

 and was drafted in the NBA in 1997.

Early life

After leading R.B. Stall High School to the South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 AAA football championship, Johnson received a basketball scholarship at the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...

, where his older brother Steven was a standout years earlier. By his senior year, he developed into one of the top players in the Trans America Athletic Conference, named conference player of the year in 1997, while leading the College of Charleston to an NCAA basketball tournament first round victory over the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

 at the Memphis regional.

NBA career

He was the first player in College of Charleston history selected in the NBA Draft, picked by the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 in the late second round. In the 1997-98 season, he started 62 games, averaging 7.5 points per game. Over the next several seasons, he played with the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

, Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...

, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

, and New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

. On December 7, 2001, Johnson signed with the NBDL team Mobile Revelers
Mobile Revelers
The Mobile Revelers were a National Basketball Development League team based in Mobile, Alabama. Playing their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, the Revelers was a charter franchise in the 2001-02 season and folded after the 2002-03 season...

 and played there for 15 games, averaging 11.9 points per game.

In the 2003-2004 season, he was signed by the Indiana Pacers, where he had a career resurgence, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game and scoring 6.5 points per game. Prior to the 2004-2005 season, the longtime NBA journeyman earned his first long term contract, a four-year deal with the Indiana Pacers.

He drew a five-game suspension from the NBA as a result of his actions in the Pacers–Pistons brawl which broke out at The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...

 near the end of a November 19, 2004 game between the two teams.

During the 2004-2005 season, Pacers' starting point guard, Jamaal Tinsley
Jamaal Tinsley
Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American professional basketball player. Tinsley was drafted out of Iowa State University by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, and then on to the Indiana Pacers on draft night...

, missed extended periods of time due to injury, which led to a starting role for Anthony Johnson during much to the latter half of that season.

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...

, Johnson scored a career-high 40 points against the New Jersey Nets in Game 6 of the series. Despite his heroics, the Pacers lost 96-90, and the series 4-2 to the Nets.

In the 2006 off-season, Johnson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 in exchange for guard Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Eugene Armstrong is a former American professional basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association...

, and forwards Josh Powell
Josh Powell
Josh Powell is an American professional basketball player.-Early life:While playing at NC State, Powell averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg in his sophomore year . He was not selected in the 2003 NBA Draft and played in Europe...

 and Rawle Marshall
Rawle Marshall
Rawle Marshall is a Guyanese-American professional basketball player. He is a 6 ft 7 in and 190 lb small forward.-Early life:...

.

On February 22, 2007, Johnson was traded back to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...

 in exchange for a second round draft choice. It was Johnson's third stint with the team.

On February 16, 2008 the Sacramento Kings acquired Johnson along with Shelden Williams
Shelden Williams
Shelden DeMar Williams is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks...

, Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Lue
Tyronn Jamar Lue is a former American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association...

, and Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Vern-Gagne Wright was an American professional basketball player.-Early life and college:Raised in Oxford, Mississippi, Wright played all levels of basketball in Memphis – high school, collegiate and professional...

 in exchange for Mike Bibby
Mike Bibby
Michael "Mike" Bibby is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He is a 6'2" point guard, and he attended Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona and played collegiately at the University of Arizona. In...

.

On July 15, 2008, Johnson signed a two year contract worth $3.8 million with the Orlando Magic. It was his second stint in Orlando. In two seasons with the Magic, he played in 111 games, starting 12, and participated in the 2009 NBA Finals
2009 NBA Finals
The 2009 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association championship series for the 2008-09 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and defending Western Conference champions, and the Orlando Magic, champions of the...

. His contract expired at the conclusion of the 2009-10 NBA season, making him a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

.

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 1997–98
| align="left" | Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...


| 77 || 62 || 29.4 || .371 || .328 || .727 || 2.2 || 4.3 || .8 || .1 || 7.5
|-
| align="left" | 1998–99
| align="left" | Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...


| 49 || 2 || 18.1 || .404 || .263 || .695 || 1.5 || 2.2 || .7 || .1 || 5.0
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 38 || 2 || 11.1 || .350 || .167 || .792 || 1.0 || 1.6 || .6 || .1 || 2.4
|-
| align="left" | 1999–00
| align="left" | Orlando
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...


| 18 || 4 || 11.9 || .426 || .200 || .600 || .7 || .7 || .6 || .1 || 3.4
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 25 || 0 || 11.2 || .366 || .000 || .706 || .9 || 1.4 || .7 || .2 || 2.6
|-
| align="left" | 2000–01
| align="left" | Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...


| 28 || 0 || 8.3 || .333 || .500 || .688 || .8 || 1.6 || .2 || .0 || 2.4
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 34 || 0 || 10.8 || .411 || .333 || .640 || .9 || 1.4 || .9 || .0 || 2.8
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | New Jersey
| 66 || 2 || 12.8 || .446 || .371 || .689 || 1.2 || 1.3 || .6 || .1 || 4.1
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...


| 73 || 7 || 21.9 || .406 || .336 || .798 || 1.8 || 2.8 || .9 || .1 || 6.2
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Indiana
| 63 || 36 || 27.7 || .445 || .380 || .752 || 2.8 || 4.8 || .9 || .2 || 8.4
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Indiana
| 75 || 53 || 26.4 || .443 || .329 || .752 || 2.2 || 4.3 || .8 || .3 || 9.2
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 40 || 0 || 14.1 || .411 || .379 || .724 || 1.2 || 2.0 || .4 || .0 || 3.8
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 27 || 17 || 27.4 || .416 || .318 || .781 || 2.0 || 4.6 || .6 || .1 || 7.5
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 42 || 41 || 26.7 || .431 || .429 || .813 || 2.3 || 4.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 6.7
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Sacramento
| 27 || 11 || 15.2 || .455 || .500 || .818 || 1.4 || 2.2 || .4 || .0 || 3.9
|-
| align="left" | 2008-09
| align="left" | Orlando
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...


| 80 || 12 || 18.5 || .404 || .391 || .753 || 1.8 || 2.5 || .6 || .1 || 5.3
|-
| align="left" | 2009-10
| align="left" | Orlando
| 31 || 0 || 13.1 || .441 || .333 || .950 || 1.5 || 2.0 || 0.35 || 0.03 || 4.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 793 || 249 || 19.6 || .414 || .356 || .745 || 1.7 || 2.9 || .7 || .1 || 5.6

Playoffs

|-
| align="left" | 1999
1999 NBA Playoffs
The 1999 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1998-99 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs by defeating the eighth-seeded Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks four games to one...


| align="left" | Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...


| 9 || 0 || 12.3 || .276 || .500 || .700 || 1.0 || 1.1 || .1 || .1 || 2.7
|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
2002 NBA Playoffs
The 2002 NBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2001–02 season. This would be the final postseason that held a best-of-5 first-round series; next year's postseason would see those series expanded to a best-of-7 format...


| align="left" | New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 19 || 0 || 8.5 || .377 || .100 || .818 || .7 || 1.1 || .3 || .0 || 2.6
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
2003 NBA Playoffs
The 2003 NBA playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2002-03 NBA season. This postseason was notable for being the first time all series were conducted in a best-of-7 format. It was also the only time in playoff history that no team was swept in a first-round series....


| align="left" | New Jersey
| 17 || 0 || 7.2 || .548 || .500 || .833 || .7 || 1.1 || .1 || .0 || 2.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...


| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...


| 16 || 0 || 20.8 || .362 || .300 || .773 || 2.1 || 2.1 || .8 || .2 || 4.6
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...


| align="left" | Indiana
| 13 || 4 || 24.3 || .351 || .348 || .806 || 2.9 || 5.1 || 1.0 || .4 || 7.0
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...


| align="left" | Indiana
| 6 || 6 || 40.3 || .517 || .400 || .667 || 5.0 || 5.2 || 1.0 || .0 || 20.0
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...


| align="left" | Orlando
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...


| 19 || 1 || 14.7 || .376 || .300 || .500 || 1.4 || 2.1 || .6 || .0 || 4.3
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...


| align="left" | Orlando
| 1 || 0 || 5.0 || .500 || .000 || .000 || .0 || 2.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 100 || 11 || 15.7 || .404 || .321 || .721 || 1.6 || 2.2 || .5 || .1 || 4.8

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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