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Dominique Johnson, Killer 3s walking bucket

Ice Cube created Fireball because he was disappointed with the early departure of many good NBA players. A high number of retirements gave the rapper idea for Big3 where former stars of the most popular national league in the world would play again. Many players didn’t represent any NBA team but made it to the Big3 league after.

One of the most prominent examples of the context in the previous sentence is Dominique Johnson. Talented shooting guard have a turbulent and bumpy road to glory. Let’s check his path to stars in the basketball sky.

What did Dominique’s journey to Big3 look like?

Before starting the 2002 season, Johnson heard a lot of good stuff about Big3 from his old pal Donte Green who represented Killer 3’s in the previous campaign. Donte, his future teammate in Big3, explained to our hero what the awards for Rookie of the Year look like.

Dominique didn’t know that Draft Pool was such an enormous event and that includes such big basketball names. He appeared at the Combine and showed a lot of talent, so the player was called up for a Draft. The outcome totally overcame his expectations, so new challenges could start for him.

How good friends are Dominique Johnson and Donte Greene?

Johnson met Donte first when he signed a non-guaranteed contract for training camp with Sacramento in 2012. Donte Greene was a player of a team from California two years when Dominique joined the roster. Later, Dominique Johnson was waived from the Kings in November that year. Despite Johnson’s departure, those two guys stayed in contact.  

The hero of our story often says how he looked up to Donte Greene and learned a lot from his current teammate in Killer 3’s. Greene gave him support during the Combine and Draft, so their good relationship and chemistry continued in the Big3 games.

What happened on the 2022 Big3 Draft Pool?

Being among 22 players chosen from the Draft was a big honor for Dominique Johnson.

The player was picked by Killer 3’s in the first round, so he had a lot of things to prove on the court. Subsequently, Johnson saw that as pressure and motivation at the same time. One thing is sure, Dominique didn’t take this chance for granted and started to put hard work into every training session. Another pick for the team was KJ McDaniels as he was chosen as the 18th pick in the second round.

Which players represented Killer 3’s in the fifth Fireball’s season?

Following Stephen Jackson’s departure, Franklin Session became captain of Killer 3’s in 2021. Franklin is a real leader on the court famous for his dunks, steals and blocks and every team would like to have him on its roster.  

Josh Powell took the co-captain role ahead of the start of the 2022 campaign thanks to very solid performances in the previous two seasons and NBA experience.

Donte Green was named second co-captain in 2021 and his appearance gave the team better percentages of shots behind the arc.

How successful was the 2022 season for Killer 3’s?

The arrival of our hero Dominique Johnson and KJ McDaniels raised the ambitions of Killer 3’s supporters ahead of the fifth Fireball’s season. Dominique’s team won the first game in the campaign by beating Ball Hogs with 50-33.

After that, they suffered two defeats against Trilogy and Aliens. Oakley’s squad then recorded four victories against Ghost Ballers, EnemiesBivouacand 3’s Company, respectively. Unfortunately, a convincing 50-28 defeat against later champion Trilogy in the eighth round left them without a playoff. The amazing winning streak didn’t take Johnson’s roster to the Top 8, so the fans were devastated in the end.

What did Dominique learn in Big3 league?

The hero of our story thought that Johnson learned that the team should look for a peak of its form not at the beginning of the competition, but in the later stages of Fireball’s season.

Another lesson Dominique received was the importance of team spirit inside the roster. One of the insights player got was that selflessness is a crucial trait of every team and the lower ego of individual leads to better chemistry. Additionally, Dominique Johnson found a lot about other styles of play and cultures competing with rivals in Big3.

What made Dominique go overseas from D-League?

Johnson points out money as his main reason to go overseas from D-League. Additionally, he regrets that overseas experience didn’t come before playing in the development league. In that way, Dominique would build a foundation, financial security, and resume first. According to him, money and experience abroad give more confidence to the player. It’s better than taking a lot of pressure in D-League first.

Also, one of the things Dominique Johnson appreciates overseas is the learning process which can be used in domestic competition. His recommendation to younger generations is to try playing abroad first, but also states that everybody has their way of looking at things.

How was Johnson’s experience playing overseas?

Dominique represented European teams during the last nine years. His odyssey throughout Europe is marked with unforgettable experiences, including his daughter, wife, and parents in the stands in games. Johnson played for Polish, German, French, Israeli, Italian, and Turkish team and gained a lot of knowledge about basketball’s strategy and tactics on this continent.

Our hero of the story lived in modest conditions during his tenure in Poland where he didn’t have a sink in the apartment, had a TV the size of a laptop, and slept on a futon. This sort of environment helped him to become a more flexible and humble person.

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What did Dominique Johnson do off the court?

Dominique Johnson wrote the book” Adjusting, Adapting, and Managing expectations of overseas basketball” in 2022.

The star wants to give aid to players who will travel overseas not to repeat his mistakes and errors. Useful pieces of advice mentioned in the book can really help to future generations when experiencing challenges in a foreign country, like speaking another language or adapting to culture.

Johnson hopes very simple examples from this masterpiece can help other players to set and manage expectations better than him. 

What is the biggest player’s advice?

His life principle and values are always including family as the most important cell of every society. His wife and child visit him at the fixtures and give the necessary boost to the player. Dominique Johnson finds the biggest joy and pride in his family.

During a break, Johnson spends a lot of time with his wife and child in a warm home atmosphere. Without his loved ones, Dominique wouldn’t stand in the place where he is now. Family is his motivation to put the maximal effort into training grounds and games. His wife and child followed him during his incredible basketball journey.

Jones is a very important figure in 3×3 basketball because he endured a lot of difficult situations in a previous part of his career. Dominique experienced a lot of ups and downs and now he is a role model for younger guys who want to make their way to basketball mainstream.

His eagerness to achieve goals is tremendous and fascinating to a bunch of 3×3 experts. Is he going to win silverware in Ice Cube’s project? Is his team going to be written in the history of Fireball? Nobody can predict the future outcome, but one fact is absolutely certain. Dominique Jones will not surrender easily.

About the author

Marjan Nikolic

Passionate sports guy, coming from the eastern Europe where best basketball is played (yeah, I know you will not agree!). Dynamic 3x3 basket has special place in my heart.

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