Markell Johnson
| File:Markell Johnson.jpg Johnson with NC State in January 2020 | |
| No. 0 – Bnei Herzliya | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Israeli Basketball Premier League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 25, 1998 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | East Tech (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| College | NC State (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2021 | Beşiktaş |
| 2021–2022 | Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys |
| 2022–2024 | BC Astana |
| 2024–2025 | Shenzhen Leopards |
| 2025–present | Bnei Herzliya |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.comLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Stats at Basketball ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Markell Davon Johnson (born August 25, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. A point guard, he played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack. He twice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Johnson was born in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] His mother is Sabrina Johnson; his father, who died in 2016, was Mark Thomas Sr.; his older sister is named Markishia, and his older brother is named Mark.[2][3] He is 6' 2".[4]
High school career
[edit | edit source]Johnson played basketball for four years at East Technical High School in Cleveland, Ohio. As a freshman, he scored 27 points and made a game-winning jump shot with 3.1 seconds left in overtime against Lake High School to help his team reach its first state semifinal since 1972.[3][5] He was considered one of the best freshman in Ohio.[6]
In his junior season in 2015–16, Johnson averaged 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per game, leading East Tech to its third straight league title and a district semifinal appearance. He was named Cleveland.com Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Northeast Lakes Division II All-District Player of the Year by the Associated Press (AP), and All-Ohio Player of the Year in Division 1.[3][7][8]
On May 2, 2016, Johnson decided to reclassify to the 2016 class and forgo his senior year.[9] On the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, he played for the King James Shooting Stars, a team affiliated with NBA player LeBron James.[10] Johnson was a consensus four-star recruit by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout, and a top-100 overall recruit by ESPN (48), 247Sports (58), and Scout (66).[3] He committed to play college basketball for NC State over offers from Louisville, Ohio State, Washington, and West Virginia, among others.[11]
College career
[edit | edit source]As a freshman at NC State, Johnson served as a backup to Dennis Smith Jr., who enrolled a year earlier than expected. As a sophomore he averaged 8.9 points and an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 7.3 assists per game (5th in the NCAA).[12][13] On December 19, 2018, Johnson set career-highs with 27 points and five three-pointers in a 78–71 upset of seventh-ranked Auburn.[14] He averaged 8.9 points, 7.3 assists (leading the ACC), 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals (5th) per game.[3] He was named ACC Honorable Mention.[3]
He missed three games as a junior with a back injury.[15] As a junior Johnson averaged 12.6 points and 4.2 assists (6th in the ACC) per game, shooting 42.2 percent (4th) from behind the arc.[3] After the season he declared for the 2019 NBA draft, but ultimately returned to NC State.[16]
He injured his ankle in practice and missed the first game of his senior season, an overtime loss to Georgia Tech.[17] Johnson hit a halfcourt buzzer beater to defeat UNC Greensboro 80–77 on December 15, 2019.[18] On December 22, Johnson recorded a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 83–63 win over The Citadel. He became the third NC State player to ever achieve the feat, joining Dennis Smith Jr. and Julius Hodge.[19] He was named ACC player of the week on December 23.[20] Johnson scored a career-high 28 points and made a halfcourt shot in a 88–66 upset of sixth-ranked Duke on February 19, 2020.[21] At the conclusion of the regular season, Johnson was selected to the Second Team All-ACC.[22] As a senior, Johnson led the ACC in assists per game (6.8; 8th in the NCAA) for the second time in his career, while also averaging 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals (3rd) per game.[12][23][3]
Professional career
[edit | edit source]On August 6, 2020, Johnson signed a two-year contract with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL).[24] In 2020–21 he averaged 7.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.[25]
In October 2021, he signed with Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[26] Johnson averaged 12.0 points, 4.3 assists (7th in the league), and 1.4 steals (10th) per game, while shooting 42.1% from three point range (9th).[27]
On July 5, 2022, Johnson signed with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).[28] On August 23, 2022, he was released by the club, as he failed his medical.[29]
On November 19, 2022, Johnson signed with BC Astana of the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship.[30] In 2022–23, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.9 assists (8th in the league), and 1.8 steals (4th) per game.[31] On July 20, 2023, he came back to BC Astana.[32] In 2023–24, he averaged 16.5 points (8th in the league), 7.2 assists (2nd), and 2.2 steals (leading the league) per game, while shooting 80.0% from the free throw line.[33] On July 7, 2024, he re-signed with BC Astana.[34] On November 4, he left BC Astana.[35]
On November 13, 2024, he signed with Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association.[36] Johnson averaged 17.1 points, 7.7 assists (6th in the league), and 2.0 steals (8th) per game while shooting 80.4% from the free throw line.[37]
On April 1, 2025, Johnson signed with Bnei Herzliya of the Israel Basketball Premier League, for whom he plays point guard.[38][4]
Career statistics
[edit | edit source]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit | edit source]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | NC State | 30 | 3 | 20.4 | .377 | .250 | .577 | 1.6 | 2.3 | .9 | .3 | 4.0 |
| 2017–18 | NC State | 26 | 24 | 29.1 | .460 | .409 | .609 | 3.4 | 7.3 | 1.7 | .2 | 8.9 |
| 2018–19 | NC State | 33 | 30 | 25.3 | .488 | .422 | .747 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 1.1 | .2 | 12.6 |
| 2019–20 | NC State | 31 | 30 | 34.1 | .405 | .267 | .606 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 1.9 | .3 | 12.8 |
| Career | 120 | 87 | 27.2 | .437 | .344 | .646 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 1.4 | .3 | 9.7 | |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ "Markell Johnson" ESPN.
- ^ "A Deafening Silence: How Markell Johnson accepts what he can't change," USA Today, September 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Markell Johnson," gopack.com.
- ^ a b "Markell Johnson," Eurobasket.
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- ^ a b "Markell Johnson," Sports Reference.
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- ^ "Markell Johnson International Stats," Basketball Reference.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ "2021-2022 Lithuanian LKL Stats," Realgm.
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- ^ "VTB United League - 2022-23 Standings and Stats ," Baseball Reference.
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- ^ "2023-2024 VTB United League Stats ," Realgm.
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- ^ "2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association Player Stats - Per Game, " Basketball Reference.
- ^ "CBA, China: Transfers," 365 Scores.
External links
[edit | edit source]- NC State Wolfpack bio
- "Markell Johnson," Israel Basketball
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- 1998 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American expatriate basketball people in China
- American expatriate basketball people in Israel
- American expatriate basketball people in Kazakhstan
- American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania
- American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Cleveland
- BC Astana players
- BC Pieno žvaigždės players
- Beşiktaş men's basketball players
- Bnei Herzliya basketball players
- NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players
- Point guards
- Shenzhen Leopards players