Linton Johnson Thrives in Italy

While players like John Stockton and Bill Russell were able to spend their entire playing careers in one city, most professional athletes do not have that luxury. For former New Jersey Nets forward Linton Johnson, that type of stability would be nearly unheard of.

Johnson, who played eight different teams throughout six seasons in the NBA along with an additional six in his time playing overseas, had quite a path to even make it to the NBA, let alone have the chance to be on that many different rosters.

As he tells Nothin’ But Nets, the first big move of his life came after high school. Once his career at Providence St. Mel came to a close, Johnson, who had been born and raised in Chicago, decided to move over 900 miles south to play in New Orleans at Tulane University.

“My high school to college transition was an easy move especially considering that I was eager to prove to my family that I could make it own my own. Besides, the Big Easy of New Orleans is the mother of southern hospitality so the adjustment was under friendly conditions,” Johnson said.

By the time his third year on the team rolled around, Johnson had established himself as one of the top scoring options for the Green Wave. He dropped in 13.1 points per game and also pitched in with 8.1 rebounds.

Though he had a relatively strong close to his career at Tulane, NBA interest was not yet high for him and he wound up going undrafted, something that didn’t come as much of a surprise to him.

“As my college coach would remind me whenever I started to feel myself, ‘Ain’t no NBA teams calling here for Linton Johnson!’ So my feelings toward being undrafted were nonexistent since there actually weren’t any NBA teams calling for Linton Johnson.”

He chose to return to school to finish his degree in finance and picked basketball again in the Randy Brown 1-on-1 tournament, an event in which he ultimately came out victorious. Though he hadn’t played organized basketball in nearly a year, this win helped him gain some momentum in the eyes of the NBA.

Seemingly out of the blue, his hometown Chicago Bulls called and offered him a contract at the start of the 2003-2004 season.

“I couldn’t believe it. Imagine a guy being one year removed from all collegiate sport activities, going on H&R Block interviews to being called to play with the world’s greatest athletes! It’s an experience that I still relish to this very day.”

He was able to make his debut in front of his hometown crowd, donning the jersey that his uncle, Mickey Johnson, used to wear in his heyday. Though many would get swept up in the moment, he was more concentrated with everything that needed to be done on the court.

“All that I was thinking about was my footwork on the blind pig post because we ran the Triangle Offense under Coach Cartwright and I could hear his signature harsh, scratchy voice in my head screaming out “CUT!” after I’d passed the ball.”

Once he was able to let it all sink in however, the moment shined light on how far he had been able to come in such a short amount of time.

“Growing up and being apart of all six of the Bulls’ championships was something special in its own right. It made saying you were from Chicago that much more meaningful. So now to be one of the players on the team you always cheered for was literally a dream come true.”

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Though he was signed without any prior professional experience, Johnson managed to start 20 games throughout his year with Chicago, something that came as a bit of a surprise to everyone.

“When I signed, unlike Allen Iverson, all I could think about was practice! But seriously, at that time I didn’t really think about any games. We had so many guys at my position that I knew I had so much work to do to just to stick around. Players like Scottie Pippen, Jalen Rose, Kendall Gill, Trenton Hassell, Eddie Robinson, Marcus Fizer and Donyell Marshall to name a few, and the reality that I hadn’t played any organized ball since my eligibility to play collegiate ball expired in my fifth year of school, the only ideas I had were how could I work harder in practice.”

Although Pippen was in the later stages of his career, Johnson was able to learn a lifetime’s worth of lessons that would go on to help him as his own career progressed.

“To be honest, I could write a book on all the things I learned from Pip. Being that Pip was my vet, meaning I was the rookie that took care of him, I was always around him. We would usually workout together after every practice and he literally taught me something new every single practice for one full year. That shows the extensiveness to his basketball genius.”

After his time in Chicago came to an end Johnson was off to the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association, but before long the NBA came calling again. This time it was the San Antonio Spurs, a team that would later go on to win the NBA Championship.

“Although I never got the chance to actually play for coach Pop, due to injury, that year I literally learned what it means to be a champion. The things I learned from Pop and that multicultural group of guys is the reason I still have a career to this day.”

He kept moving along and at the beginning of the following season he found himself on the roster of the New Jersey Nets. Though his stay with the team was brief, he was able to make a few long-lasting memories.

“My favorite moment in a Nets uniform had to be as a spectator when I witnessed Vince Carter take the ball and touch his ankles, while in the air, and slam dunk over Alonzo Mourning so hard that I felt sorry for the Big Zo.”

Johnson had a relatively inconsistent role with New Jersey and near the trade deadline; he was shipped off to New Orleans, a place that he was very familiar with due to his days in college.

“In the NBA, to be wanted is the good feeling, so I was content that the Hornets had enough interest in me since the trade was primarily for Marc Jackson. New Orleans was like a second home to me, so to be back in the city of my college years and during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was something so special.”

For the first time since his days with the Bulls, Johnson was able to play extended minutes at the NBA level. Playing with the Hornets for a season and a half, Johnson was able to develop a strong bond with his teammates.

“I think the group of guys that I played with in New Orleans were the closet band of brothers that I have ever played with and it was solely because of the leadership of Chris Paul. It’s quite normal to have small groups within every team where this guy hangs with this guy and so on, but that Hornets team was the first and last team I’ve ever witnessed where everyone hung out together.”

He continued, “When we went out, we all went out. Going to the movies, we all went to see the same show. It was something special and Chris had an integral part in keeping us a tight unit. It was always special to be the team that helped restore some hope back in New Orleans after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina.”

Over the course of the next two years, Johnson played on ten-day contracts with four different teams and also had a brief stint in Spain. While many would have found this level of week-to-week instability unsettling, Johnson welcomed the challenge.

“Being that I didn’t have a family at the time, it was business as usual. As much as a player yearns to have stability, being shopped around comes with the territory. Something that I understood from my first year was that just to have the opportunity to play in NBA was a privilege, so even those ten-days were an honor as I was able to travel to different cities and met more interesting people and have a job. Stress is for people who are unhealthy; playing a game is just the opposite.”

To close out his NBA career, Johnson was able to return to his hometown Chicago Bulls and had the opportunity to make his first appearance in the playoffs.

“The management and player personnel were still there, so it was still like home again. The only real difference was Vinny Del Negro, and I knew him from my Phoenix Suns stint, so it was under familiar territories. However being apart of that playoff series against the Boston Celtics in 2009 was something to remember. Game 6 with three overtimes created an atmosphere that I had never experienced before. I remember Ben Gordon being Superman in Bulls clothing!”

While his NBA career was known for an incredible level of instability, Johnson has been able to find a home away from home in a place that he would have never expected: Italy. Since heading over in 2009, Johnson has managed to become a consistent contributor in the Italian Serie A.

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“The adjustment to playing in Italy was to simply understand that America was behind me and that was something I accepted the moment my agent Mark Bartelstein assured me that I would love the experience of playing in Italy. In fact his words could not have been more prophetic when he said that this experience would change my life. I think meeting my Italian wife has given the obvious reason for staying here for all this time. “

Though he has now been in Italy longer than he played in the NBA, Johnson still keeps some connections to his United States roots; wearing his New Jersey Nets hoodie whenever he goes running.

It may not have been the career that he had planned, but Linton Johnson is a perfect example of someone that has been able to adjust and thrive with any situation that has been thrown his way.

Quick Questions

Why #43?
I’ve always followed the path of my uncle Mickey Johnson. His first year with the Bulls he wore #8., so I wore #8 with the Bulls also. When he got traded he wore #43, so since I left the Bulls, I changed my number to #43 as well.

Who was your favorite player growing up?
My favorite player was Kevin Garnett once he made it to the pros because he was tall, skinny and dark-skinned like myself. But you would have never guessed as much, since I talked so much trash to him my rookie season that I received a technical foul. I was actually sitting on the bench when I received the tech, but it was justified since the team had my back and paid the then-$500 fine for technical.

What advice would you have to players in the United States who are thinking of making the jump to international basketball?
If that decision were made, my advice would be to leave America in America. I see so many players stuck in America mentally opposed to making home where you are currently. I’ve always believed that is the best way to enjoy the experience of travel. Be open to different ways of life to make yourself more interesting. I once met an old guy in Spain and he told me that, “Your life is like a book and to not travel is to stay on one page.’” So many guys travel but still remain on page one because they don’t allow themselves to open up to a different way of life.

Who are some of the best international players that would do well in the NBA?
I am a fan of Alessandro Gentile since I have watched him mature over the past years. I think he has the NBA demeanor and physicality for the long grind of the NBA seasons that is needed to survive.

Who makes up your all-time starting five?
PG: Penny Hardaway
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Scottie Pippen
PF: Tim Duncan
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

What was your favorite restaurant while playing in New Jersey?
I forgot the name but there was a small health shop where I used to buy freshly squeezed juices in Edgewater, New Jersey.

What is one thing that you wish you would have known before you began playing internationally?
Even if my Italian speaking gets better on the daily, I wish I knew how to speak Italian fluently before I arrived here.