[1] Johnson's notorious off-court behaviour due to drug abuse harmed his reputation as a player.

[4] He allegedly had conflicts with Tigers coach Bob Davis who accused Johnson of having "a bad attitude".

[1] Johnson's scoring average dipped each season with the Tigers and caused worry amongst professional scouts as to if he was a problematic player.

[5] Averaging 10.5 points, the rookie helped the Hawks return to the playoffs after a four-year absence, a feat repeated in six of Johnson's eight full years with the club.

During that season, Johnson advanced as far as he ever would in pursuit of an NBA championship, losing in the conference semifinals to the Washington Bullets.

[citation needed] Fans voted Johnson into a starting spot in the 1980 NBA All-Star Game,[6] where he scored 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

[citation needed] He returned as a starter in the 1981 NBA All-Star Game,[7] where he scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

"[9] Johnson played in the Continental Basketball Association for the Tampa Bay Thrillers during the 1986–87 season as he needed visibility to work his way back into the NBA.

[10] Johnson signed a contract with the Seattle SuperSonics as they needed an experienced guard for the end of the 1986–87 NBA season.

"[2] During the 1980 NBA off-season, Johnson escaped unharmed after he jumped off a second-story apartment balcony and fled across a parking lot while two men fired gunshots at him in what police believed was part of a drug dispute.

[2] Johnson was diagnosed with manic depression by psychiatrists in the Cobb County facility;[2] he doubted the accuracy of the diagnosis.

The Hawks became aware of the resumption of Johnson's erratic behavior in July 1981 and persuaded him to submit to a local hospital.

Johnson showed up at the Hawks' training camp in October directly from the hospital and became increasingly disruptive as he rebuked teammates, left the floor to play with a child in the stands, and jumped rope on the sidelines while oblivious to his surroundings during practice sessions.

[12] The arrest created additional controversy when multiple publications used the picture of another former NBA player (and current broadcaster) named Eddie Johnson, who believed his reputation had been damaged due to the incident.