<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-james-johnson-reaction-wild-ejection');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ James Johnson’s reaction to wild ejection is pure gold');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/James-Johnson.jpg"><figcaption>Kyle Terada-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Pacers’ James Johnson’s reaction to wild ejection is pure gold</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-19T21:42:47-07:00">June 19th, 9:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-19T21:42:47-07:00">June 19th, 9:42pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Indiana Pacers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-indiana-facing-tough-game-7-nba-finals-trend">Indiana Pacers delivered</a> one of the most unforgettable moments of the 2025 NBA playoffs in Game 6 of the Finals, courtesy of veteran forward James Johnson. With under a minute remaining and a 21-point lead, Johnson escalated the drama with a sudden shove that led to a swift ejection and an instant viral moment. The contact, aimed at Thunder rookie Dillon Jones, ignited a wave of stunned reactions and animated energy from the crowd.</p><p>The incident <a href="https://x.com/TonyREast/status/1935897739297964214" rel="noopener">quickly gained traction</a> online. Tony East of Forbes initially misidentified the player involved before promptly correcting it in a follow-up post, clarifying that it was Dillon Jones, not Isaiah Joe, who took the hit.</p><p>“James Johnson ejected for a smack to the back of the head of Isaiah Je. He laughs on the bench as he’s shown on the jumbotron and Obi Toppin encourages the fans to cheer. 57.3 to go, Pacers up 21.”</p><p>With the crowd roaring and the jumbotron replaying the moment on loop, Johnson made his exit with a grin. On X (formerly Twitter), the veteran forward followed it up with a <a href="https://x.com/JamesJohnsonIND/status/1935898055884390779" rel="noopener">cryptic but unmistakable</a> emoji post.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="art">🥊</p><p>— James Johnson (@JamesJohnsonIND) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesJohnsonIND/status/1935898055884390779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That single glove told fans everything they needed to know. This was calculated chaos. Some speculated it was a deliberate move to fire up the Pacers bench reaction and close out Game 6 with some theatrical flair.</p><p>Debates are already swirling over whether this was the quickest ejection in NBA history. Rasheed Wallace’s 1:25 mark is still the official record, but Johnson may have one-upped it with even less time on the clock. Regardless of the numbers, the Johnson ejection has taken on a life of its own online.</p><p>What really sent the moment into the stratosphere was the team’s response. The reaction of the Pacers bench, especially Obi Toppin hyping the crowd, was pure comedy gold. Meanwhile, the veteran sat back, smiled, and watched his highlight play out for the fans. It was a moment that perfectly captured the Pacers’ identity, one that is bold, energetic, and unapologetically entertaining in nature.</p><p>Off the court, Johnson has built a reputation for gritty leadership and unshakable swagger. From his bold fashion choices to his readiness to mix it up when needed, he commands respect in the locker room. The incident with Jones only added another memorable chapter to his legacy as a no-nonsense enforcer who sets the tone on the floor.</p><p>For a team like the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-fans-in-full-party-mode-after-routing-thunder">Pacers who thrive on energy and emotion</a>, this wasn’t just an ejection—it was a statement. Whether or not it gives Indiana momentum for the next game, it certainly gave fans something to remember.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ James Johnson’s reaction to wild ejection is pure gold

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/indiana-pacers/pacers-news-indianas-surprising-james-johnson-move-threw-social-media-ablaze');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pacers’ surprising James Johnson move threw social media ablaze');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/James-Johnson-Rick-Carlisle-Indiana-Pacers-Cleveland-Cavaliers.jpg"></figure><h1>Pacers’ surprising James Johnson move threw social media ablaze</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-09T22:34:18-07:00">May 9th, 10:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-10T13:51:23-07:00">May 10th, 1:51pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Cleveland Cavaliers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tyrese Haliburton and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/cleveland-cavaliers/cavs-rick-carlisle-pinpoints-1-key-slowing-down-donovan-mitchell-game-3">Indiana Pacers dropped Game 3 of their second-round series</a> against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The matchup saw Cleveland lead by double digits for most of the night, which surprisingly led to a James Johnson appearance for Indiana.</p><p>Head coach Rick Carlisle decided to put his NBA veteran into the game, which sparked some interesting discussions.</p><h2><b>Pacers’ surprising James Johnson move threw social media ablaze</b></h2><p>With the Cleveland Cavaliers leading 119-96 with 5:03 remaining in what was a tightly officiated Game 3, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle inserted veteran forward James Johnson into the game.</p><p>The broadcasting team mentioned Johnson’s entering the lineup as a possible message being sent by the Pacers. About 10 seconds into the ensuing possession, Johnson set a hard screen on Cavs guard Max Strus and was whistled for an offensive foul. Shortly after that, Johnson threw a light elbow at Cavs big man Evan Mobley.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rick Carlisle subs in 38 years old James Johnson to the game, and Johnson fouls after a few seconds (with a replay).<br>The announcer claims that Carlisle wants to "send a message" <a href="https://t.co/xL2zfJyxui">pic.twitter.com/xL2zfJyxui</a></p><p>— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MrBuckBuckNBA/status/1921027111554330894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James Johnson made just 12 appearances for the Pacers in the 2024-25 season and played 3.1 minutes per game. Friday night was Johnson’s first appearance this postseason, and he finished with three points, one rebound, one steal, and one foul in five minutes of play.</p><p>When Johnson checked in, <a href="https://x.com/Cavsanada/status/1921028478654136673" rel="noopener">fans on social media</a> began reacting to what was an interesting decision by Carlisle to insert Johnson.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This celebrating of James Johnson for non basketball things this pretty weird.</p><p>Especially when the stuff the broadcast is implying has been done by the players that have been playing</p><p>— Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cavsanada/status/1921028478654136673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cavs looking at james johnson coming on <a href="https://t.co/Y6REYdhbBK">pic.twitter.com/Y6REYdhbBK</a></p><p>— Maxence (@Xenceee) <a href="https://twitter.com/Xenceee/status/1921026377643397448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nuggets vs Thunder delayed until 10:30 so we can watch James Johnson shoot free throws down 26 <a href="https://t.co/jdf7361j2L">pic.twitter.com/jdf7361j2L</a></p><p>— Fan (@undercoverNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/undercoverNBA/status/1921026725506371599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Johnson getting buckets on 23 year olds <a href="https://t.co/fKSvgTWn2a">pic.twitter.com/fKSvgTWn2a</a></p><p>— waloo on the web (@that_guy_waloo) <a href="https://twitter.com/that_guy_waloo/status/1921028043096592494?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Draymond Green watching James Johnson play basketball <a href="https://t.co/RlwKoPdYkW">pic.twitter.com/RlwKoPdYkW</a></p><p>— profloumoore (@loumoore12) <a href="https://twitter.com/loumoore12/status/1921026342566416599?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Johnson 4th quarter playoff minutes <a href="https://t.co/WCpJaHZmKv">pic.twitter.com/WCpJaHZmKv</a></p><p>— ` (@merctial) <a href="https://twitter.com/merctial/status/1921026059882967331?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rick Carlisle subbed in James Johnson and<br>the announcer claims that Carlisle wants to "send a message” to the Cavs</p><p>9 seconds later he is called for an illegal screen 😭 <a href="https://t.co/A4gCzDtSNt">pic.twitter.com/A4gCzDtSNt</a></p><p>— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fullcourtpass/status/1921032452253917465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Johnson comes in and the first thing he does is hit Strus <a href="https://t.co/hhnSfkIW4y">pic.twitter.com/hhnSfkIW4y</a></p><p>— Pacer Faithful (@jlh0215) <a href="https://twitter.com/jlh0215/status/1921026148953170422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Johnson shorts tell me exactly what type of time he on</p><p>— PeeWeeDaPlug (@PeeWeeDaPlug) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeeWeeDaPlug/status/1921025950642282587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">James Johnson using his black belt to stop this Cavs run <a href="https://t.co/sxQCgWyKgG">pic.twitter.com/sxQCgWyKgG</a></p><p>— 𝙍𝘿 (@NorthSidePace) <a href="https://twitter.com/NorthSidePace/status/1921026452046155907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Game 4 between the Pacers and Cavs will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday night at 8PM EST.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pacers’ surprising James Johnson move threw social media ablaze

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/bulls-news-james-johnson-reveals-what-derrick-rose-really-like');   ga('set', 'title', 'James Johnson reveals what Bulls’ Derrick Rose was really like');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Bulls-news-James-Johnson-reveals-what-Derrick-Rose-was-really-like.jpg"></figure><h1>James Johnson reveals what Bulls’ Derrick Rose was really like</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-16T16:57:00-07:00">September 16th, 4:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-16T16:57:00-07:00">September 16th, 4:57pm</time><address><a href="https://nextmanupblog.medium.com/">Jay Postrado</a>Jay Postrado is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, Tennis, and Formula 1. He is a lifelong motorsports and tennis fan. Jay's need for speed may no longer be on the grid or courts but has stayed with him through writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The biggest what-if in NBA history has to be about Derrick Rose. He was thriving with the Chicago Bulls and even found his way to become the youngest Most Valuable Player in league history. However, injuries derailed him from being able to play to his full potential. He then made his way to a lot of teams and has now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-news-ja-morants-game-draws-derrick-rose-comparison-from-joakim-noah">ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies.</a> Up until now, legends about the great things he did on the court have been surfacing throughout league history. Indiana Pacers’ James Johnson may have just added to the plethora of stories about the all-time great.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/knicks-news-jalen-brunson-derrick-rose-injury-tom-thibodeau-negative-reputation">Derrick Rose was thought of</a> as a very serious guy. He did not show emotions during his All-Star introductions and was just ready to jump over someone if it meant that he would get a and-one opportunity. However, James Johnson posits that the youngest MVP in league history was not too serious. In fact, the Bulls legend was<a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1835173947035598977" rel="noopener"> actually fairly funny.</a></p><p>“He was very quiet until you met him and started rocking with him. One of the funniest guys ever. Just being a rookie and knowing that I’m about to watch the best player in the league at that time. The things that he was doing were so incredible, that was the year before his MVP year. His MVP year, he picked up where he left off,” the Pacers enforcer said, via The OGs Show.</p><h2><b>Derrick Rose’s time with the Bulls</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Derrick-Rose.jpg"><figcaption>© Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>There truly is not a blink-or-you-miss-it moment in the NBA greater than Derrick Rose, maybe Brandon Roy rivals it. At the peak of his powers, the Bulls may have very well been considered a title contender just because of how gifted Rose was. In his MVP year, he managed to rack up 25 points while shooting with a 44.5% clip from all three levels of scoring. He also dropped 7.7 rebounds while stealing the ball at least once per game.</p><p>Now, he is off to mentor Ja Morant and the young guns in the Grizzlies system. There is no certainty as to when his last year in the league would come but one can imagine that his time to hang it up is looming.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

James Johnson reveals what Bulls’ Derrick Rose was really like

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba-news-jeff-teague-story-james-johnson-knocking-out-three-guys');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jeff Teague tells wild story of James Johnson knocking out 3 guys at once');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NBA-news-Jeff-Teague-tells-wild-story-of-James-Johnson-knocking-out-3-guys-at-once.jpg"></figure><h1>Jeff Teague tells wild story of James Johnson knocking out 3 guys at once</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-07-18T20:09:12-07:00">July 18th, 8:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-07-18T20:09:12-07:00">July 18th, 8:09pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is a sports writer for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jeff Teague recently appeared on “The Draymond Green Show,” where he talked about one of the most intimidating players in the league. Teague, who played alongside veteran forward James Johnson for two years at Wake Forest, recounted the experience of knowing not to cross him.</p><p>During the podcast, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-why-draymond-green-still-holds-grudge-with-jeff-teague-brother">Teague and Green discussed</a> James Johnson, known for being an enforcer in the NBA, his black belt in karate and his practice of kickboxing and mixed martial arts.</p><p>Green initiated the conversation stating, “Speaking of James Johnson, probably the most feared man in the NBA,” to which Jeff Teague immediately chimed in, “I’ve seen him knock out three dudes at one time, and I’ve seen him knock out a seven-footer.”</p><p>Johnson was the subject of a story Teague shared from their college days, highlighting his scary presence and reputation.</p><p>“His whole family, black belts. He got videos of his dad beating his legs with like wood, but they got their feet up like six inches. So when you see James’ legs it’s massive,” Teague said.</p><h2><b>James Johnson had Jeff Teague’s back when they were in college</b></h2><p>Although Johnson hasn’t achieved notable milestones in the NBA aside from a lengthy 15-season career, he is widely respected and rarely challenged. Many are unaware of his martial arts prowess, which includes disciplined and dedicated practice.</p><p>“Our freshman year, (football players) kept calling me Mike Conley when I came to Wake Forest. He was like, ‘You call him Mike Conley again, I’m gonna knock you out.’ But nobody know that he had this kickboxing resume. One of the coaches like, ‘Aye, bro. Leave him alone. He not who y’all think he is,” Teague recalled.</p><p>At just 18 years old, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/james-johnson-thinks-he-could-beat-ufc-jon-jones-in-a-fight">Johnson won his first martial</a> arts fight in an impressive 97 seconds. He has also competed in MMA across three states, maintaining an undefeated record. Aware of Johnson’s formidable fighting skills, Teague was glad to have him as a <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1814015797020459176" rel="noopener">teammate during their college days</a>.</p><p>“And the coaches start telling him, ‘He a kickboxer.’ We didn’t know either so we had a meeting. This dude had a kickboxing match set up. The coach has to sit us down and tell us, ‘Yo, are you gonna be a kickboxer or a basketball player?’ He like, ‘I need some money.’ Oh, you’re about to go fight? For money? Oh, hell no. I’m not f**king with this dude,” the former NBA star said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I've seen him knock out three dudes at one time… You're about to go fight? For money? Oh hell I'm not f****** with this dude."</p><p>Jeff Teague on James Johnson 😂</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVolumeSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheVolumeSports</a>)<a href="https://t.co/3BSwdzc6Nh">pic.twitter.com/3BSwdzc6Nh</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1814015797020459176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Jeff Teague and Jeff Johnson’s very different NBA careers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Jeff-Teague-coaching.jpg"><figcaption>Doug McSchooler/for IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><p>Jeff Teague and James Johnson played two years together at Wake Forest before Teague declared for the 2009 NBA Draft.</p><p>Teague was selected 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks and went on to have a successful career, becoming an All-Star in 2015 and winning an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.</p><p>Conversely, Johnson was selected 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls. Throughout his 15-season career, he has played for 10 different teams. At 37, he is now a free agent.</p><p>Despite lacking the accolades typically used to judge players, Green and Teague respect the NBA journeyman. Green, in particular, respect Johnson’s discipline, and courage.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jeff Teague tells wild story of James Johnson knocking out 3 guys at once

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/james-johnson-thinks-he-could-beat-ufc-jon-jones-in-a-fight');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why James Johnson thinks he could beat Jon Jones in a fight');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Why-James-Johnson-thinks-he-could-beat-Jon-Jones-in-a-fight.jpg"></figure><h1>Why James Johnson thinks he could beat Jon Jones in a fight</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-09-17T07:19:14-07:00">September 17th, 7:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-09-17T07:19:14-07:00">September 17th, 7:19am</time><address><a>Abhinav Kini</a>Abhinav Kini is a Journalism graduate from Loyola University Chicago and has been writing on sports ever since he realized he was good at it during his gap year after high school. He mainly specializes in MMA, NBA, boxing, soccer and tennis.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MMA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA forward <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-james-johnson-joins-kevin-durant-brooklyn-on-one-year-deal" rel="noopener">James Johnson</a> believes he could defeat UFC heavyweight champion <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/im-over-the-hill-jon-jones-real-athletic-mortality-amid-ufc-295-stipe-miocic-fight" rel="noopener">Jon Jones</a> in a fight.</p><p>The 2009 first round pick made the extremely bold claim while appearing on the NBA Rookie Life podcast where he went on to state that with <a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/mma/news/nba-vet-james-johnson-ill-beat-ufc-champ-jon-jones-with-1-year-of-training" rel="noopener">a year of training</a>, he’d emerge victorious over Jones.</p><p>“I rock with [Jon] Jones,” Johnson said (via SI). “…I would need a year [to go up against Jones]. My standup game is great but what we all know with Jones is he’s a collegiate wrestler… really good on the ground and that’s not my forte.</p><p>“I can get on the ground. …To his level? I’m not there yet I’d definitely need a year to work on counters and defenses against it so that we can stay on our feet.”</p><p>Johnson is seemingly backing his experience in fighting growing up as well as his physical attributes being 6’7”. He’s also a few months older than Jones.</p><p>“I could beat [Jon Jones] for real,” he added. “With a year of training defense, I just need ground defense. … He started learning how to use your hands and your feet what? After college? I’ve been punching and kicking since I was five, six years old.</p><p>” … He has a big advantage there [on the ground] but as long as I can keep him from going on the floor… I win.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I could beat [Jon Jones] for real. With a year of training defense… He started learning how to use your hands and your feet what? After college? I've been punching and kicking since I was 5/6 years old." </p><p>—James Johnson</p><p>(via "NBA Rookie Life") <a href="https://t.co/WQWllKDsSr">pic.twitter.com/WQWllKDsSr</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1703236633993326698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Now, to his credit, Johnson is said to have a black belt in karate as well as a 20-0 record in kickboxing along with some MMA experience. However, at the same time, his combat experience isn’t really documented anywhere.</p><p>But that said, even if he does have some legitimate combat experience, it’s extremely bold and delusional to feel he can defeat Jones in a fight with just a year of training.</p><p>Jones is regarded as the greatest MMA fighter of all time and is yet to suffer a true defeat inside the octagon with his only loss coming as a result of a disqualification.</p><p>Granted, “Bones” does tend to struggle at times against fighters who are close to his height and frame, but he’s still emerged victorious every time and those are against fighters training and competing for multiple years at the highest level.</p><p>Safe to say, take Johnson’s comments with a massive grain of salt.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why James Johnson thinks he could beat Jon Jones in a fight

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2024-25 SEASON STATS
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0.7	0.5	0.3	0.2	-

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