Born in Morgan City, Louisiana, Johnson attended Syracuse University, where, as a junior and senior, he developed into a high scoring small forward.

Following his senior year, he participated in the now defunct Orlando Classic pre-draft camp/tournament and made the all-tourney team.

He had the highest measured vertical leap of all the camp participants (34 inches), was the leading scorer in the tournament (19 points per game) and also won the Slam Dunk Contest.

He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 26th pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

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