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Law Murray: LA Clippers coaching news Amir Johnson will join LAC player development staff. Solid vet for the big men. Darnell Jackson, veteran of 138 NBA games and a 2008 NCAA champion at Kansas, will be on San Diego Clippers staff
Sources close to the league claimed that Kaepernick’s investment would allow the league to continue operating. Multiple players with the BIG3 league had been preparing for a potential shutdown, sources told The Athletic. BIG3 is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league began in 2017 and consists of 12 teams. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league restarted in 2021. Team Trilogy — consisting of former NBA players including Jarrett Jack and Amir Johnson, coached by Stephen Jackson — won the league last year.
Amir Johnson knows he may never get back to the NBA, but he wanted to teach and still has the skills to play. He averaged 8.5 points and 3.3 rebounds as a backup center for the Ignite, but he’s an asset to the coaching staff because of his vast experience and knowledge, especially of defense. “It’s perfect for me to be here because I was in the same position as these guys,” he said. “I just have a lot of say-so, just from experience, for me to be here with these young guys coming out of high school at 18 and they get to come here first to get some learning experience and then go. It’s amazing because when I went, everybody in the NBA was like 30 and up. Now you get some vets on this team and they get to learn and then go in the fire.”
Johnson, who last played for the 76ers in 2019, didn’t want to just go home and chill with his kids. He’s only 34. He was in the unusual position to being too young to give up the game but not a real consideration for an NBA contract. The G-League was the ideal landing spot. “It was just a no-brainer for me to be here,” he said. “It’s good seeing guys like Jalen [Green] and Jonathan Kuminga thrive and play at the never level. Just can’t wait for the next guys to be up and see what they can do.”
“Maybe I have another calling for coaching but I love the game and want to be around it,” he said. “I still have that itch to go out there and hoop. And I feel like I can talk to guys more when I’m actually on the court and playing. I asked Scoot [Henderson] is it easier when I’m on the court talking to you on defense? He was like, ‘yes.’ ”
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Kosta Koufos to G League Ignite team
JD Shaw: The G League Ignite has added Kosta Koufos and Kevin Murphy. They join Dakarai Allen, Jessie Govan, Amauri Hardy, Pooh Jeter, Amir Johnson and Malik Pope as the team’s eight veterans.
Rylan Stiles: Full G-League ignite roster:
Full G-League ignite roster: pic.twitter.com/HvC3leZROY
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) October 28, 2021
JD Shaw: 14-year NBA veteran Amir Johnson has signed in the TBT with The Money Team, a group ran by Floyd Mayweather. Johnson has seen action in 870 NBA games and last played in 2018-19 with Philadelphia.
To bolster a team with so many 18- and 19-year-olds, players like Johnson, 33, and Jarrett Jack, 37, were brought in to not only fill out the numbers, but to provide mentorship to the young players — something Johnson says could be invaluable as they enter the NBA. “For these guys to be able to come to this program, play with (veterans), get that experience of living on their own and all the extra stuff, you know, they get that before they're thrown in the fire,” Johnson said. “Coming into the program I was like ‘What a great idea getting experience first, before they get to the NBA.’ I just kind of got thrown into the fire, and God bless I had such great vets that steered me in the right direction.”
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While the G League and college routes come with their own challenges, the similarities between what these players are going through and what life is like in the NBA is something that Jack says can’t be overstated. “It's totally different from college,” Jack said. “It’s a situation where you can lock in and focus on the craft, work on your professional future. (You) get acclimated to what your lifestyle and what your day-to-day is gonna be going forward and you do that without having homework and other things that come with more of a college life. You're just able to put 24 hours a day into being better, understanding how to be effective on a job. So, I think that's where this program is really, really crucial and can be beneficial to a lot of people that college may not be the route necessary route for.”
Tyler Cook: When you go to the next level, you aren’t going to be the main guy right away. Going above and beyond to help your team doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but it helps you in the end. I think that havings vets on the team like Jarrett Jack and Amir Johnson really helps them out even more. I’m excited for whatever is in their future. I’m looking forward to just seeing where they’re going and what kind of players they end up becoming at the next level.
Josh Lewenberg: Kyle Lowry just grabbed board No. 2,837 as a Raptor, passing his former teammate Amir Johnson for 4th on the franchise’s all-time rebounds list. He needs 3 more to pass Antonio Davis for 3rd. Bosh (4,776) and Valanciunas (3,961) are 1 and 2.
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