I last saw Ken Johnson (210-C-1978, college: Ohio St.) 14 years ago when he was playing with the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Time flies and sometimes it is difficult to remember details from interviews especially when you have interviewed so many guys over 20 years. The season before he came to Bonn, the ex NBA player suited up for the then Deutsche Bank Skyliners and I remember interviewing him in his apartment in Basketball City Mainhatten in Frankfurt. I was recording special footage for my then weekly basketball show on radio called Tipoff Basketball Bundesliga magazine. Ken who is a deeply religious man was cooking lunch for himself and I had to stare at him in astonishment a few times when seeing just how tall he was. There had been a reason why he had reached the NBA and become a block monster in every league he had played in. I wanted to get as much information about his playing career and already back then had unending questions. And then it happened, the conversation changed from basketball to family. He told me how much he missed his daughter. I could really feel how sad he was. At that point he was already playing his seventh professional season and somehow was living away from his family. Usually the family is with the player, but often when they aren’t, the basketball dream overseas dies, because the family becomes most important and guys just head home again. After 9 seasons Ken Johnson called it a career and went back to Ohio. ‘I would say the fondest moments for me while playing in Europe was when I was on a plane going back home. That might sound somewhat harsh but I spent 9 years in Europe while my children were at home. That was 10 months out of the year that I could not see them and the little breaks we did get was just not enough. I’m a family man and I believe that family is first that is the main reason why I retired early’, stressed Ken Johnson. 14 years later after I read his thoughts on his daughters during his career, my memory of being in the kitchen in Frankfurt with him and his sadness over missing his daughter popped back into my mind.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Ken Johnson in the Ballsporthalle after the Telekom Baskets Bonn had beat Frankfurt in 5 games in 2008
Ken Johnson enjoyed a fruitful 9 year pro career after having a stellar career at Ohio State where he led the NCAA in blocks in 2000. ‘I do miss playing college ball to be honest that was the best time of my life’, stressed Ken Johnson.
He was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2001 at #48. He played 16 NBA games for the Miami Heat and had the honor to play for the legendary Pat Riley. ‘Pat Riley looks like a tough guy and he is. He wasn’t a screamer but he demanded you do what was asked of you or you would not play. Pat Riley gave us a story once about Magic Johnson and Kareem and said that it was a completely different era and they were very dominant and their practices were just as hard as games if not harder’, remembered Ken Johnson. He played his final NBA game against the Toronto Raptors winning 103-99 and recording 8 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. After his NBA stint and playing for the Dakota Wizards and Huntsville Flight, he would go on to have a stellar career overseas playing in countries like Italy, France, Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Estonia. He also played for D-League team Alburquerque Thunderbirds. He played two years in Germany with Frankfurt and Bonn. He reached the semi-finals with Frankfurt and reached the final with Bonn in 2009. 14 years later, I wanted to give him a big interview, but because of his job, he answered only some of my questions. I wanted to get his memories of the bitter 5 game series loss to Oldenburg, but sometimes being silent is better. ‘I do not follow the teams that I played for because life has moved on for me. I played for several different teams and they’re just too many teams to follow but every now and then I do hear about the success from Bonn and Bourg in France. Our team in Germany was very talented and we had several guys that cooked and really played high level ball but we all know that the NBA is really politics and your agent. It’s all part of the game and I’ve learned to accept that. I am thankful for that time and I’m very grateful and I thank God for the opportunity’, stressed Ken Johnson. Fans will remember Ken Johnson as a rim protector and big that could get your team out of a jam. He once had 8 blocks against Cologne. It was always enjoyable watching him swat away balls. It would be interesting to see how a young Ken Johnson would fair in today’s game. ‘Today’s game has changed drastically. The big men are basically expected to dribble and shoot perimeter shots. The bigs like Shaq and Yao Ming are rarely needed now they are too slow for today’s game. Today’s game is not as physical as the NBA in the early 2000s’, warned Ken Johnson.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Ken Johnson after he returned back to Frankfurt with the Telekom Baskets Bonn winning 81-66 as he chipped in with 6 points and 4 rebounds
If you follow Ken Johnson on social media in 2023, you will often see him posting pictures of himself and people next to car’s. His life in the job world now revolves around cars. Anyone that is a salesman knows that selling something can be as demanding as trying to guard a Shaq back in the day. He also knows that he has certain advantages over other salesmen who don’t have that same menacing presence and overwhelming back round. ‘Life after basketball has been good but challenging. My body hurts all the time but I manage to stay active. My sales job keeps me waking up at 6m every day which is good as I age. I have never liked being a salesman because of high pressure tactics but I have managed to do well here just being honest and being myself. Customers love me because of my sports background and not being your typical pushy salesman’, stated Ken Johnson. He has been away for the game now for 13 years and does think often about the happy times overseas. ‘I don’t really miss pro ball what I do miss is the relationships that I’ve gained, I miss the awesome fans in each city, and I miss some of the teammates that I’ve had along the way’, said Ken John son. His time overseas may not always have been easy as he was without family, but he made a living and could support his family. The most important thing now is that he can always be with his family. ‘I enjoy every moment that I am here with them. My oldest daughter has already graduated and my second daughter is almost finished with college as well so I am very proud of them. Life is too short and I believe that there is nothing more important than family’, warned Ken Johnson. Family should always be #1.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Ken Johnson in 2008 in Frankfurt
German Hoops 