Puff Johnson (basketball)

Donovan Christopher "Puff" Johnson (born October 11, 2000) is an American college basketball player who plays for the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference.^[1]

Puff Johnson

No. 5 – Penn State Nittany Lions
Position	Small forward
League	Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born	(2000-10-11) October 11, 2000 (age 24) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Moon Area (Moon Township, Pennsylvania) Hillcrest Prep Academy (Phoenix, Arizona)
College	North Carolina (2020–2023) Penn State (2023–present)

High school career

Johnson attended Moon Area High School in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, for 3 years, helping lead the school to a state championship as a junior. As a senior, Johnson attended Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was coached by former NBA player Mike Bibby.^[2] A 4 star recruit, he committed to North Carolina over Arizona.^[3][4]

College career

North Carolina

Johnson played very little in his freshman season with the Tar Heels and finished the season averaging just 1 point per game.^[5] This limited playing time initially continued into his sophomore season while battling through injuries.^[6][7] On February 26, 2022, Johnson scored a career high 16 points in an 84–74 victory over rival NC State.^[7]

In the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Johnson emerged as a valuable contributor, helping lead the 8 seeded Tar Heels to the Final Four.^[8] In the championship game against Kansas, Johnson scored 11 points off the bench before being forced to exit late in the game after collapsing and vomiting; North Carolina lost 69–72.^[9][10][11]

In his junior season, Johnson was one of the main rotation players used off the bench for the Tar Heels. Once again hampered by injuries that caused him to miss some time, he appeared in 27 of the team's 33 games.^[12] Of his 27 appearances in the 2022–23 season, Johnson made two starts. Usual starter Pete Nance missed two games due to a back injury, so Johnson filled Nance's spot in the lineup while Nance was out. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game on the year.

Following the season, Johnson entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal database, in search of more playing time elsewhere.^[1]

Penn State

Johnson committed to play his senior season at Penn State.^[13]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020–21	North Carolina	14	0	4.1	.429	.111	1.000	.5	.1	.1	.1	1.1
2021–22	North Carolina	24	0	10.4	.459	.231	.722	2.0	.5	.3	.2	3.1
2022–23	North Carolina	27	2	15.9	.387	.283	.658	2.7	.4	.6	0	4.1
Career		65	2	11.3	.417	.247	.690	1.9	.3	.4	.1	3.1

Personal life

Johnson's older brother Cameron played for the Tar Heels from 2017 to 2019, and currently plays for the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.^[10] Johnson's mother is Croatian American.^[14] His nickname "Puff" originated from his enjoyment of Cocoa Puffs when he was young.^[15]