Stanley Herbert Johnson Jr.
Stanley Herbert Johnson Jr. (born May 29, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, and earned All-American honors in his freshman year. After the season, he declared himself eligible for the 2015 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining three years of college eligibility. He was selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2015 NBA draft. A native of Fullerton, California, Johnson was one of the top high school recruits of 2014 by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN. He was a four-time CIF State champion at Mater Dei High School. He played in the 2014 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, 2014 Jordan Brand Classic and the 2014 Nike Hoop Summit. He was also a 2014 USA Today first team All-USA Boys Basketball Team selection. As a freshman at Arizona in 2014–15, Johnson was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He started all 38 games he played for the Wildcats, averaging 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 28.4 minutes per game. On April 23, 2015, Johnson declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his remaining three years of college eligibility.
Johnson entered the 2015 NBA draft as the 11th ranked prospect on ESPN’s Top 100 draft board. He reportedly refused to attend a pre-draft workout hosted by the Charlotte Hornets, in hope of being drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the eight overall pick, or the Miami Heat with the 10th selection. On June 25, 2015, he was selected with the eighth overall pick by the Pistons. On July 22, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Pistons after averaging a team-high 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in five summer league games. On October 27, he made his debut for the Pistons, recording 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench in a 106–94 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On November 9, he had a then season-best game with 20 points and 7 rebounds in a loss to the Golden State Warriors. On January 14, 2016, he scored a team-high 19 points off the bench in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. On February 4, while starting at shooting guard in place of the injured Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Johnson recorded a season-high 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a 111–105 win over the New York Knicks. The Pistons finished the regular season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44–38 record, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2009.
However, in their first-round series against the first-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons were swept 4–0. On December 10, 2016, Johnson was assigned to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League. He was recalled the next day. On March 8, 2017, he
had a season-high 17 points in the Pistons’ 115–98 loss to the Indiana Pacers. On January 21, 2018, Johnson scored a then season-high 18 points in 26 minutes in a 101–100 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. On January 30, 2018, he scored a career-high 26 points in a 125–114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Johnson earned gold medals in the 2011 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship, 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship and 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. Johnson served as captain of the 2014 team and earned MVP of the 2014 tournament. Johnson was born in Anaheim, California to Karen Taylor and Stanley Johnson Sr. His parents divorced and his father remarried. Johnson was the couple’s only child, and he was raised by his mother in Fullerton. His mother played college basketball for Jackson State, where she was inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame in 2009; she also played professionally in Europe. Johnson is the stepson of Easter Johnson, and has two brothers and two sisters.
