If Jaron Johnson followed very early (from 4 years old) in the footsteps of his brother Justin, six years his senior, on the basketball courts, nothing was laid out for the youngest of the Johnson siblings. “My father was the coach of my high school football team and also the track coach, my mother was a teacher. And very quickly, sport became everything for me, it allowed me to stay away from problems, ”says the JDA winger.
If Texas has three teams in the NBA (San Antonio, Dallas and Houston), basketball is not the benchmark sport. “It’s definitely American football, and especially in Tyler where I grew up (100 km south-east of Dallas). If you don’t gamble, people are looking at you and wondering what’s wrong with you, ”he smiles. “But when we had a career in basketball, my brother and I, the looks changed a bit here. Although there is a certain irony that the sons of the American football coach played basketball. “
Texan rivalries
On Sundays, in the Johnson family, it’s also about “touchdowns” and “first downs” that we talk about, “but when the NBA season started, our household was rather a fan of the Lakers or the Mavericks”, recalls Jaron.
In Texas, you have to choose your camp, as the former Chalonnais tells it with humor. “The main rivalry is between Dallas and Houston, because if San Antonio has always had a great team, it is a smaller city. It goes beyond the scope of sport. If someone from Dallas comes to live in Houston, people are not going to like them, and vice versa. “
After two years of “junior college” in his hometown, Jaron Johnson left for two years at Louisiana Tech University. “It was a two and a half hour drive, so I wasn’t at my parents’ house anymore, but I could come home for the holidays, and they could come and watch a few of my games. “
One step from the Rio Grande
Upon leaving university, Jaron will live his first professional experience with the Rio Grande Vipers, a name that smacks of westerns, located near Mexico. “It’s a G-League team, associated with the Houston Rockets, and it’s been a good experience, with great infrastructure. In the city, we were five minutes from the border. A lot of things were written in Spanish, and we were steeped in that Hispanic culture. “
After two experiences in Australia and Israel (see box), where he shows off his athleticism (winner of the dunks competition in Israel), he joined France by signing at Levallois in March 2018.
“I practiced high jump when I was younger, and my jumping and downforce qualities come from there,” explains the JDA winger. “I’ve always been a player who attacks circles, and can go dunker. But seeing how Steph Curry moved the lines, I changed my game. I said to myself “if I can dunk and score three points, it will give an even greater dimension to my game”. I’ve been really working on this for the last few summers, and I’m still going on. “
Versatility that JDA hopes to make the most of this season.
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