London Johnson playing the game to his own beat
London Johnson has slowly grown on the US high school scene with a versatile game as a guard. Then he played for Jamaica and received worldwide attention for what he did. Find out more about him.
London Johnson plays to his own beat. And armed with an uncommon background and off-court interests as well as a drive to succeed the right way, the Atlanta-based guard is tearing up courts with a game as smooth as the rhythm in his head.
Johnson continues to make a name for himself in the Georgia high school hoops scene as he stars for Norcross High. But his name went viral internationally last December when he put on a performance for the ages at the FIBA Centrobasket U17 Championship 2021. Playing for Jamaica, Johnson turned the tournament in Mexico into his own personal playground.
The 2004-born Johnson dominated the competition in Mexcali, Mexico to the tune of 36.0 points a game - the most ever in the eight editions of the biennial event.
“It was a lot of fun. It was cool playing against other teams. They were communicating in a different language that we didn’t understand. It was pretty cool to see other countries play basketball,” said Johnson, whose outstanding performances could not keep Jamaica from finishing sixth with one win in five games.
Johnson’s scoring output was not the only impressive feature as he averaged 9.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.0 steals. Those numbers still didn’t tell the whole tale at just how unstoppable the 6ft 4in guard was. He connected on 57.8% of his two-point shots, 46.7% of his three-pointers and 87.5% percent from the foul line, where he connected on 63 of an amazing 72 free throws in five games.
Not impressed by those shooting numbers? Well, consider the lower talent level of his teammates on the Jamaica team, which allowed opposing teams to concentrate on Johnson with regular double and triple teams.
“It was hard to find my shots. I was still trying to share the ball. But Coach (Trevor) Poyser was telling me to try to break down one defender from the double-team and attack him and then try to find the open guy or get my shot or pass the ball and put my teammate in a position to be successful,” Johnson said.
All told, he played 179 of a possible minutes - in five games in five days.
“I was very exhausted. I had a trainer after a couple days help me out with stretching to stay healthy,” Johnson said.
Okay, how about more reasons why the performance was impressive?
Consider that Johnson playing for the first time outside of the United States, according to the slightly different FIBA rules, facing completely unknown opposition - oh, and with a 24-second shot clock.
“Being a fast-paced player it really didn’t affect me that much. The only time it affected us was when the ball got stagnant and the other team was playing good defense and we had to force a shot at the end. But that didn’t happen that often,” said Johnson, who had only previously played with a 30 second shot clock on the AAU circuit. “I really prefer a shot clock because I play a fast pace. I really don’t like when teams have the ball for like a minute.”
When asked what he learned from a basketball perspective at the U17 Centrobasket tournament, Johnson offered: “How serious other guys from other countries take it. It opened my eyes that it’s not just kids in the USA trying to make it to the NBA but it’s happening all over the world.”
The NBA is Johnson’s goal - no doubt. But not at all costs. And not before his time has come.
Johnson still has the rest of his junior year of high school and his senior season, plus the AAU circuit. By the time he finishes his high school career, there could be another path that could lead him to the NBA.
Right now, top level talents not wanting to go to college could go to the G-League, the new Overtime Elite Series or abroad - such as the Australian NBL league, where players like LaMelo Ball, RJ Hampton and Terrance Ferguson have played instead of the college hardwood.
When asked for his thoughts about the other choices, Johnson said: “They are another way to make it out. It opens up different options. It’s a pathway to get money I’d say. I’d rather take the long term way. I’d rather not take the fast money. It’s not worth my process. I would prefer to continue to work and my time will come with the money.”
Hearing that makes one wonder how Johnson got here: in the final process of choosing a college among big institutions like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina, USC and Virginia.
Getting to Atlanta marks just the most-recent stop of a tour of the United States that Johnson has been on his whole life.
He was born in Houston, Texas and moved with family to Washington DC when he was 2 years old. When he was about 4 or 5, the family left for Virginia and then to Boston, Massachusetts when he was 7. Around 9 or 10, Johnson and the family was on the move again, this time to Johnson City Tennessee, not far from Knoxville. He stayed there until he was 12, when it was on to Charlotte, North Carolina. Then after about 4 years, Johnson and family relocated to Atlanta in 2020.
The uneasy feeling for the listener is the calmness that Johnson lists those moves - remember, he won’t turn 18 until early June.
“It was Virginia or Boston where I start to remember things. I don’t really remember anything from Houston or DC,” he explains.
Johnson’s father played basketball in college at Cincinnati State and he handed London a ball early on and it was love at first sight.
London played competitively for the first time in Virginia. And it was in Boston when he started to have more friends - also because he was getting older. Johnson started playing AAU basketball in Tennessee, and he also started to get used to moving.
“It was more difficult up to Tennessee. After all the moves I felt I adjusted to the fact that we move a lot and making friends didn’t become that hard, especially while I was playing basketball. That’s really how i made my friends,” he says.
Just like changing where he lived, Johnson also has changed his role models. Early on - in Virginia - it was LeBron James.
“I still like LeBron but then when I realized I wouldn’t have a LeBron body I watched more players who fit my style of play and I started liking guys like Chris Paul, Steph Curry and Damian Lilliard.”
Sure, Johnson has moved around a lot, but his basketball story really isn’t that out of the ordinary just yet. Neither is the fact that he says he would probably play American football or baseball if he could do any other job.
But Johnson has another side. And that’s where his beat and rhythm come in.
Of course hip-hop and rap artists take up a major part of Johnson’s musical library. But he said about 30 percent of what he listens to is music with saxophone. Johnson actually plays the brass instrument - “on and off since I was in Tennessee”.
“I like some jazz and I like hearing the saxophone. I feel the more I hear it the more I can imagine playing it,” said Johnson, who doesn’t have a favorite saxophone artist but likes watercolors and smooth jazz as well as Afro music.
His mother plays a lot of piano and listens to a lot of Beethoven.
“Sometimes I end up listening to it with my mom, but it’s not necessarily part of my musical culture,” Johnson said of Beethoven.
As it turns out, Johnson thinks playing the sax helps him in basketball.
“I feel it can free my mind a little, especially listening. I think the rhythm of the saxophone can translate to being on the basketball court. The rhythm is smooth and allows me to have a steady mind to also maintain my focus to make shots,” he said.
So the next time you see Johnson swerving through traffic on the court, imagine it just might being a sweet chord progression that gets his creative juices flowing.
Johnson is making waves on the court, but what about if he put his time and energy into music? Would he be an emerging professional saxophone player?
“Yes if I really locked in and that was my main focus. I feel like I could be a professional saxophone player,” he answers without hesitation.
Johnson has not only taken his mother’s interest in music, but also her career choice. London plans on studying pre-med, right in line with his mother, an oncologist (cancer surgeon) in Atlanta.
“Like my mom I would like to do something in the medical field. That is something I willx look at when I get to college,” he said.
And it was London’s mother’s heritage which actually got him the international attention. She was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and his aunts in Kingston.
London’s mom wanted him to have dual citizenship with a Jamaican passport as well. He has had it about five months.
His mother’s side of the family is mostly Jamaican and most of them moved to Houston. For holidays, London and the family would return to Houston and he would feast on Jamaican food such as oxtail, Jamaican patties and plantain. And London’s grandfather was a big Bob Marley fan, so they would listen to a lot of reggae music.
Johnson really doesn’t know how Jamaica’s U17 coach Poyser learned of the passport.
“I am not sure how he found out, but as soon as he did he reached out to my mom and they were wanting me to come down and play,” Johnson remembered.
Playing for Jamaica meant leaving the United States for the first time - and that going to his mother’s homeland.
“It was cool to see where my mom grew up. We flew into Montego Bay, but the training camp was in Kingston - about 2-3 hours by car,” he said.
Johnson was actually picked up in Montego Bay by his nana and grandfather - another special moment.
Another special moment coming up will be when Johnson announces his college choice - spoiler, it will be a commitment video on Instagram and Twitter. And he expects it to come soon.
When asked what reasons will mean most in his decision, he said: “The main reason will be the connection to the coach. But also the style of play and how it fits my game and also if it will push me to get better. My main goal is to get to the NBA. It has to be a school that has good academics as well and also one that doesn’t have players when I get there so I can play right away when I get there.”
But Johnson said the whole process has had its highs and lows.
“The most fun is seeing that you’re getting better by all the schools reaching out and also being offered a college scholarship,” he said.
And the least fun part?
“Just trying to keep up with all the coaches calling you day after day.”
Johnson expects to really have a feeling of relief after the announcement.
“I will definitely be really relieved. After I drop that and get all the congratulations I feel like I will be able to lock in on playing with my school and AAU teams and getting better without all the distractions.”
Without the distractions from him hearing his own beat and moving to his own smooth rhythm.