The Brooklyn Nets will promote BJ Johnson to assistant general manager, the NBA team announced Wednesday. Johnson initially joined the Nets in 2016 shortly after general manager Sean Marks’ arrival.
He’d served as a Player Development Coordinator before being promoted to Senior Director of College Scouting & Player Evaluation.
BJ Johnson spent 11 years with USA Basketball before joining the Brooklyn Nets
Additionally, Johnson spent 11 years with USA Basketball, including seven years as the men’s national team assistant director. He worked with all levels of USA Basketball’s men’s teams.
His primary focus was developing the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team program.
Per Johnson’s biography, he attended Villanova University, where he was a member of the men’s basketball team. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in Chinese.
BJ Johnson has been promoted to assistant general manager.
More front office additions and promotions → https://t.co/n0AYzsiDYU pic.twitter.com/Z352fP8HpN
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) September 4, 2024
In April, Marks suggested that Johnson could be considered for a promotion following the departures of assistant GM Jeff Peterson and executive director of basketball and business operations Ryan Gisriel for jobs with the Charlotte Hornets.
Peterson had been assistant general manager for the Nets since 2019, while Gisriel had served a host of front office roles since arriving as an intern in 2013-14.
“I think some of our guys have done a terrific job,” Marks said earlier this offseason. “In terms of just simply drafting, I mean, you want to take BJ Johnson.
“BJ runs our draft and has done so for the last several years. So, there’ll be more pressure and more responsibility placed on several of the guys in-house here.”
Johnson is largely credited for persuading Brooklyn’s front office to draft Nic Claxton and Jalen Wilson
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, in his new role, Johnson will lead and oversee all of the Nets’ scouting efforts. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native will work directly under Marks and alongside fellow assistant GM Andy Birdsong.
Johnson has been largely credited for convincing the Nets to draft players like Nic Claxton (2019) and Jalen Wilson (2023) in the second round of their respective drafts.
“It’s great to find a guy in college, and I give our draft process a lot of credit,” Marks said recently. “BJ Johnson has run that for the last few years. [He] did a heck of a job in evaluating and finding Nic and being able to draft Nic where we did.”
Brooklyn’s front office has already made a series of additions and promotions within their basketball operations department this offseason. Two other in-house moves come to mind for the Nets.
Makar Gevorkian was promoted to vice president of basketball operations alignment & strategic planning. Glenn DuPaul was promoted to vice president of basketball analytics as well.
