Hawks forward Jalen Johnson never would have imagined five years ago he would be where he is now. But on Monday, he received life-changing money when he signed a five-year, $150 million fully guaranteed contract.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t even have imagined this,” Johnson, 22, told reporters Tuesday. “Like, there was a point in time, just in college where, the whole world was against me and all these narratives, and just me working every day to defeat those narratives, and just, show people who I really am, and I’ve done that up until this point, and it’s, it’s been great just to really see everything come about.”
When Johnson played for Duke, a foot injury forced him to miss time, and he eventually opted to leave the school to focus on his health and well-being. His decision to withdraw, though, was met with reports of red flags surrounding him.
“Those really aren’t red flags,” Johnson told the Sacramento Bee after a pre-draft workout in 2021. “People say a lot of things about me, but they say those things without knowing me. … I don’t like seeing that stuff, and I know my parents see that stuff, and I know it hurts them because at the end of the day, these people are making judgments without knowing me, without speaking to me, without saying a word to me. So the fact that people are saying I’m a bad-character kid off essentially a decision I made — a 19-year-old kid made — it’s kind of crazy at the end of the day. Whoever’s saying that, it’s just not true, so I’m just excited to get into the league and kind of just shine a better light on my name.”
But the knock to his reputation led to his fall from a projected lottery draft pick to 20th overall, where the Hawks selected him.
So, when he got the news that the Hawks would extend him, it forced him to reflect on everything that has happened to him throughout his career. Then when he phoned home to his family with the news, the emotions started to pour out.
“It was crazy, just how I came about, and then calling my mom just like, I knew I wasn’t gonna cry, but then once I heard her tear up, it was kind of like over with for me,” Johnson said. “And then you really think back to your journey and where you started from, and every step, every little thing you’ve encountered and had to go through to get to this point, it was like all those emotions hitting you at once. And it’s like, this is only the start. So, it was a great feeling yesterday, and I’m blessed.”
Over the past five years, he has worked hard to show the world who he really is. With the Hawks having a veteran-heavy team in 2021, Johnson opted to go to the College Park Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate. He used that time to focus on his game and building his skill set.
He played minimal minutes at the beginning of his sophomore season, but that eventually changed when the Hawks opted to make a coaching change midseason. They hired Quin Snyder, who quickly saw the potential for Johnson’s development.
“He really, he committed to that and that year, he started playing more,” Snyder said Tuesday. “And then I think going into that summer and last year, the work that he’s put in, it’s a success story in my mind, not only for him, but for our entire program and the development process. Because he’s someone, he’s not a finished product by any means, and I think he’s first in line relative to his commitment to continue to get better.”
Last season, Johnson broke out, averaging career highs in points per game (16), rebounds per game (8.7), assists per game (3.6), steals per game (1.2), blocks per game (0.8), minutes per game (33.7), 3-point percentage (35.5%) and free-throw percentage (72.8%).
Though exhibition stats often are taken with a grain of salt, they bode well for him. He’s pretty much picked up where he left off last season. In three exhibition games, he averaged 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and two steals per game all while making 87.5% (you read that correctly) of his 2.7 3-point attempts per game.
“For him to have a clear head this year and be able to really continue to grow, I’m going to keep challenging him to play defense, but he can do a lot of things on the floor,” Snyder said. “And that versatility, I think, is something that really helps our team in a lot of ways. It’s a good (thing). Excited to have him part of the program for a number of years.”
Johnson looks forward to that, as well.
“I mean, Atlanta is where I want to be,” Johnson said. “There’s nothing, no doubt about that. I feel like we’re building something really special here, and I want to be a part of it. So it meant a lot for, you know, them to want to get something done with me as well.”
The Hawks have gone down to the wire with rookie extensions over the past three years. Last season, Onyeka Okongwu received his extension and in 2022, De’Andre Hunter got his at the deadline.
But with Johnson becoming the latest member of the team to receive his new deal, the jokes about him picking up his teammate’s tabs have begun.
“Dinner and everything’s on him,” Okongwu said. “I ain’t pulling out my wallet. Ever. Around him?”
But Okongwu, with whom Johnson has one of his closest relationships on the team, has far deeper feelings about Johnson getting his new deal.
“I’m so happy for him,” Okongwu said. “Obviously, his first three years in the league, he wasn’t playing as much, but just to see him blossom, and earn that good money, I’m happy for him, his family. They’re great people. I was, egging him so much after he signed it and that’s my dog. I’m just happy that he has that weight off his shoulder.”
Now, Johnson heads into the season, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against the Nets at State Farm Arena, a little lighter. And despite having to wade through some challenges, he wouldn’t change a thing about how he got to this point.
“I don’t think it really did prepare me for this more because it was just I couldn’t have seen this coming when I was in College Park,” he said. “It was just like a day-by-day thing. And then really it’s been every single day, just kind of waiting and seeing where I’m at with things. And yesterday I got a life-changing deal. So it’s just been a blessing to go through it this way. I wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way. I feel like everything happens for a reason. This is just all part of my story.”
