NBLC Alumni: Omari Johnson
6'9 Forward
From Kingston, Jamaica
Tenure: 2011-13
1xAll-NBLC
Omari Johnson was, in many ways, one of the first stars of the NBL Canada. He wowed the crowds for the first two years of both his professional career and the league's operation, and from there his career went from strength to strength.
From Susan Miller Dorsey High School in LA, Johnson committed to the Oregon State Beavers in 2007. In his freshman years he played 23 games, starting in 13, and was the fourth-highest scorer with a 7.2 point average. At the end of his tenure with the Beavers he played 120 games and averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.
He made his professional debut with the Oshawa Power in the inaugural NBL Canada season of 2011-12. He played in the franchise's very first game and went on to make 37 appearances with 29 starts in the first season.
Against the Halifax Rainmen, Johnson recorded single-game scoring and rebounding records of 37 points and 16 boards (Which have since been overtaken). He was also named to the All-NBLC Second team for the season.
Staying in Canada, Johnson joined the Summerside Storm (Now Island Storm) in the next season, where he posted the best numbers of his NBLC career. In thirty games, he averaged 18.8 points and 8.9 total rebounds, as the Storm finished top of the Atlantic Division. They would later represent the eastern seaboard in the 2013 finals, only to lose 3-1 to the London Lightning.
Johnson then ventured outside of Canada, joining Valladolid in Spain, averaging 11.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. In November 2014, he was selected by the Maine Red Claws in the NBA D-League Draft and went on to play 51 games for Maine in the 2014-15 season.
He returned to the Red Claws the following season, after playing in four pre-season games for the Portland Trail Blazers.
In 2016, Johnson joined Lithuanian team Neptunas Klaipeda, playing twelve LKL games and eleven times in the FIBA Champions League. After one season with the team he made the move back to the USA and joined up with his second NBA G League team, the Memphis Hustle.
His 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in 44 games saw him earn a contract with the Hustle's parent team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Johnson played four times for the Grizzlies and, having had a taste of the NBA, was not about to let it be his only one.
The following off-season he represented the Golden State Warriors in both the Sacramento and Las Vegas Summer Leagues. His 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game were enough to impress the Indiana Pacers, who signed him to a pre-season contract, but he appeared just once for them and was assigned to their G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
Johnson played fifty games for the Mad Ants in 2018-19, twice registering his career-best total for a single game of 28 points. His contract was then acquired by the Canton Charge.
After two seasons in Canada, Omari Johnson went on to a highly successful career, playing at some of the highest levels of basketball. What he achieved in the NBL Canada, though, was highly significant. He was one of the first players to show the level of basketball the league was capable of producing, and the hard-work and determination that showed on the courts in Oshawa and PEI continued through to all of his future teams.
