# Wesley Johnson (basketball)
**Wesley Johnson** (born in Corsicana, Texas) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected fourth overall by the [Minnesota Timberwolves](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-timberwolves) in the 2010 NBA Draft and played in the NBA from 2010 to 2019 for six teams.[5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball) • [2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about) A 6-foot-7 forward with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he entered the league as one of the most decorated college players of his class but settled into a career as a role player, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game over his NBA career.[3](https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/player.php?id=3101) • [4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnswe01.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draft | Fourth overall pick, 2010 NBA Draft, by the Minnesota Timberwolves[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) |
| College | Two seasons at Iowa State, then one season (2009-10) at Syracuse after sitting out 2008-09 as a transfer[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) |
| College honors | BIG EAST Player of the Year and consensus All-American in 2009-10; first transfer from a four-year school to win the BIG EAST award[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) • [5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball) |
| 2009-10 numbers | 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, both team highs; 48.7% field goals, 38.1% on three-pointers, 78.6% free throws[5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball) |
| NBA teams | Minnesota, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington, and New Orleans, 2010 to 2019[2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about) |
| NBA career averages | 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game[4](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnswe01.html) |
| Final pro stop | One season with Panathinaikos in Greece after leaving the NBA[6](https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/basketball/a-former-syracuse-basketball-player-01kv5t05z6nx) |
| Post-playing career | Private basketball coach in New Orleans[2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about) |
## College career
Johnson spent two seasons at Iowa State before transferring to Syracuse, where he sat out the 2008-09 season under transfer rules.[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) His single season with the Orange made him one of the biggest impact transfers in college basketball: he helped Syracuse to the BIG EAST regular-season championship and a 30-5 overall record, and he was named BIG EAST Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches.[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) • [5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball) He was the first Player of the Year from Syracuse since Hakim Warrick in 2004-05.[5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball)
**A breakout shooting season.** The 6-7 junior led Syracuse in both scoring (15.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.5 per game) while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from three-point range, and 78.6 percent from the foul line, and he ranked second on the team in blocks (1.9) and steals (1.7).[5](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball) The three-point accuracy was new: he had been a career 31.6 percent three-point shooter before that season.[7](https://www.libertyballers.com/2010/5/7/1461352/sixers-draft-profiles-wesley) After the season he earned consensus All-American honors and entered the NBA Draft following his junior year.[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10)
## NBA career
The Timberwolves selected Johnson fourth overall in June 2010, joining his former Syracuse teammate [Jonny Flynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonny-flynn) in Minnesota.[1](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10) His first two seasons in Minnesota went poorly by the numbers: his second season produced a player efficiency rating of 4.2 and a true shooting percentage of .408, figures that placed him among the league's least productive second-year players since 1980.[8](https://www.canishoopus.com/2012/1/11/2699606/a-pattern-of-behavior-wesley-johnson)
In July 2012 Minnesota sent Johnson and a first-round pick to the [Phoenix Suns](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoenix-suns) in a three-team trade.[9](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612740/2025/10/2025-26-Pelicans-Media-Guide-v2.pdf) He then joined the [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers), where coach [Mike D'Antoni](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-dantoni) tried to remake him in a Shawn Marion-like role as an athletic, multi-position forward; the Lakers' coaching staff valued him even in games where he shot poorly, and Steve Nash endorsed the Marion comparison.[10](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-xpm-2013-oct-30-la-sp-ln-d-antoni-wesley-johnson-marion-role-20131030-story.html) He later played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington, and New Orleans, finishing his NBA career in 2019 after stops with six teams.[2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about) His final professional season came with Panathinaikos in Greece.[6](https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/basketball/a-former-syracuse-basketball-player-01kv5t05z6nx)
## Playing style and evaluation
Johnson's physical profile was the reason for his draft position. At 6-foot-7 and about 205 pounds with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he was considered ideally sized for an NBA wing, and he was an explosive leaper.[3](https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/player.php?id=3101) Pre-draft scouting compared him to [Shawn Marion](https://www.edgepedia.org/shawn-marion) and projected him as an excellent role player, while questioning whether he could take over or finish off an NBA game as a one-on-one scorer against similarly sized small forwards.[7](https://www.libertyballers.com/2010/5/7/1461352/sixers-draft-profiles-wesley) • [11](https://rushthecourt.net/2010/06/05/rtc-nba-draft-profiles-wesley-johnson/)
The questions proved durable. Analysts in Los Angeles described him as a player who looked the part of an NBA star but functioned as a replacement-level role player, able to finish shots adequately and dunk spectacularly without earning a defensive reputation.[12](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2014/5/5/5667190/answering-wesley-johnsons-confounding-continual-mediocrity) His shooting efficiency never reached league-average levels, and he did not crack 40 percent shooting in one Lakers season while shooting just over 30 percent from three-point range.[3](https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/player.php?id=3101)
## Post-playing career
After retiring, Johnson moved into coaching. He now runs a private basketball training business in New Orleans, offering individualized sessions for youth and adult athletes.[2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about) On his own account, the through-line of his career is preparation: "I am a testimony of hard work. The regular kid next door that made it."[2](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about)
## References
1. [Johnson Goes Fourth Overall To Timberwolves, Syracuse University Athletics](https://cuse.com/news/2010/6/24/JohnsonNBA6.24.10)
2. [Wesley Johnson, Former NBA Player & Private Basketball Coach in New Orleans, Wes J Basketball](https://www.wesjbasketball.com/about)
3. [Wesley Johnson NBA Stats & News, RotoWire](https://www.rotowire.com/basketball/player.php?id=3101)
4. [Wesley Johnson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/johnswe01.html)
5. [Syracuse's Wes Johnson Named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Big East Conference](https://www.bigeast.com/news/2010/8/25/Syracuse_s_Wes_Johnson_Named_BIG_EAST_Player_of_the_Year.aspx?path=mbball)
6. [A former Syracuse basketball player will make his debut for Boeheim's Army in July, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/basketball/a-former-syracuse-basketball-player-01kv5t05z6nx)
7. [Sixers' Draft Profiles: Wesley Johnson, Liberty Ballers](https://www.libertyballers.com/2010/5/7/1461352/sixers-draft-profiles-wesley)
8. [A Pattern of Behavior: Wesley Johnson, Canis Hoopus](https://www.canishoopus.com/2012/1/11/2699606/a-pattern-of-behavior-wesley-johnson)
9. [2025-26 New Orleans Pelicans Media Guide, NBA.com](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/uploads/sites/1610612740/2025/10/2025-26-Pelicans-Media-Guide-v2.pdf)
10. [Mike D'Antoni grooming Wesley Johnson for Shawn Marion-like role, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-xpm-2013-oct-30-la-sp-ln-d-antoni-wesley-johnson-marion-role-20131030-story.html)
11. [RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Wesley Johnson, Rush The Court](https://rushthecourt.net/2010/06/05/rtc-nba-draft-profiles-wesley-johnson/)
12. [Assessing Wesley Johnson's confounding continual mediocrity, Silver Screen and Roll](https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2014/5/5/5667190/answering-wesley-johnsons-confounding-continual-mediocrity)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 2011–2018 › NBA forwards, 2011–2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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