Johnson chose to the University of Cincinnati and would play for coach Bob Huggins alongside Steven Logan and future NBA players Kenyon Martin and Kenny Satterfield.

1 before Kenyon Martin injured his knee in the conference tournament and cut short what could have been a deep March Madness run by the Bearcats.

[5] Fitted to a halo brace during his recovery,[6] Johnson was sidelined for the entire 2002-03 NBA season, and questions surfaced regarding him ever playing again.

He then moved on to the American Basketball Association's Long Beach Jam where he played 19 games, before rejoining the NBA, signing a contract with the New York Knicks.

The following season, in 2004–05, Johnson rejuvenated his career with the Denver Nuggets, playing in 71 games and averaging 7.1 points on 49.9 percent field goal shooting.

Johnson reportedly signed with Italian team Benetton Treviso in August 2007,[7] but quickly jumped back to the NBA Development League's San Antonio affiliate Austin Toros.

On December 29 he signed with the San Antonio Spurs after they waived rarely used rookie combo guard Marcus Williams.

[citation needed] In May 2021, Johnson returned to his alma mater to be director of player development for the men's basketball program under coach Wes Miller.

Speculation about his commitment to coaching and widely known presence in the bars of Morgantown, may have led to his contract not being renewed by WVU.