Wesley Johnson

Johnson with the Timberwolves
No. 2 – Phoenix Suns
Shooting guard / Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1987-07-11) July 11, 1987 (age 25) Corsicana, Texas
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	Corsicana (Corsicana, Texas)
College	Iowa State (2006–2008) Syracuse (2009–2010)
NBA Draft	2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Pro career	2010–present
League	NBA
Career history
2010–2012	Minnesota Timberwolves
2012–present	Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (2010) Big East Player of the Year (2010) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2011)
Stats at NBA.com

Wesley JaMarr Johnson (born July 11, 1987 in Corsicana, Texas) is an American professional basketball swingman with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Syracuse and Iowa State. He was selected with the fourth pick of the first round in the 2010 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.^[1][2]

High school [edit]

In high school he averaged 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks as a senior at Corsicana High School. He was a first-team all-district pick in 2004 and 2005. He also played for the Dallas Mustangs AAU team.

College career [edit]

2006–07 [edit]

As a freshman at Iowa State, Johnson was named to the Big 12 all-Rookie team and earned honorable mention freshman All-America honors after averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, starting 30 of 31 games. Johnson's highlights from his freshman year included 14 points and 13 rebounds in win against Missouri, including the game-winner on a tip-in with 1.6 seconds left. He also scored 17 points at No. 10 Texas A&M.

2007–08 [edit]

Johnson missed five games and played with an injured ankle throughout the majority of the season. He still was named an honorable mention all-Big 12 selection after averaging 12.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Johnson scored 20 points behind a 5-of-11 effort from 3-point range against eventual NCAA Champion Kansas.^[3]

2008–09 [edit]

Johnson made the decision to transfer following the 2008 season, and selected Syracuse. Per NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the 2008–09 season, leaving him with two years of college eligibility.^[4]

2009–10 [edit]

Johnson at Syracuse

Johnson became a starter for the Orange in his first year with the team. In November 2009 he was named MVP of the 2K Coaches Classic after scoring 25 points in a Syracuse victory over the No. 6 North Carolina.^[5] Johnson would score 17 points and grab 10 rebounds as Syracuse knocked off then-No. 10 Florida on December 10, 2009.^[6] In his first game of Big East play, Johnson scored 20 points and grabbed a career high 19 rebounds as Syracuse defeated Seton Hall 80–73 on December 29, 2009.^[7] Johnson was named Big East Player of the Year on March 9, 2010, finishing with season averages of 16.0 points and 8.4 rebounds.^[8] On March 29, 2010, Johnson was named a First Team AP All American.^[9]

On April 12, 2010, Johnson declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.^[10] He signed with sports agent Rob Pelinka.^[11]

NBA career [edit]

Minnesota Timberwolves (2010–2012) [edit]

Wesley Johnson was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 4th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. On March 18, 2011, Johnson scored a career-high 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Phoenix Suns (2012–present) [edit]

On July 27, 2012, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal.^[12] Because the Suns did not extend Johnson's contract, he will experience the 2013 free agency period. In his first game with the Suns, Johnson scored a three-pointer in a close victory against the Detroit Pistons. Johnson would not gain significant playing time with the Suns until Lindsey Hunter took over as head coach for the team. On February 26, 2013, Johnson recorded 14 points, along with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in an 84-83 victory against his former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. A day later, Johnson made a game-tying three-pointer from a long pass by Jermaine O'Neal that helped the Suns win 105-101 in overtime against the San Antonio Spurs. On March 1, 2013, Johnson scored a season high 15 points and added six rebounds and two steals in a 92-87 victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA career statistics [edit]

Regular season [edit]

See also [edit]

• 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
• SUAthletics.com