Johnson "Physically Ill" in Reaction to Massive Contract

When Tyler Johnson arrived in the NBL at the start of the season most keen-eyed basketball fans would have known his name – largely for his four year stint at the Miami Heat

That famous four-year, $50 million deal he signed with the Heat back in 2016 is still spoken about today, and while Johnson’s career has been beset by injuries since then the leadership and ability he has shown in flashes during his time at the Bullets shows why he was rated so highly.

Speaking on One-On-One, Johnson reflected on signing that life-changing contract six years ago.

“I actually threw up, I became physically ill because of the raw emotions that came over me,” Johnson said of the contract.

“I didn’t know how much I was going to get. Many of the guys who have basketball journeys, their families have tough times.

"They’re from backgrounds where they’re not financially in a position to have nice things or to be able to do nice things all the time. It’s life changing.”

Once a wide-eyed, inexperienced reserve at NBA-level, Johnson has come to Australia with a pedigree that few players to ever land in the NBL can boast about.

Although he has since settled into a bench role for Brisbane – NBL veteran Jason Cadee has been chosen to start over the American in recent weeks – he’s still offering valuable contributions as a calming presence and primary offensive operator in his side’s second unit.

He says he’s keen to pass on the lessons he was taught by some of the biggest names in modern NBA history.

Johnson and Dwyane Wade were teammates for two seasons at the Miami Heat.

“One thing I picked up from guys like Dwyane Wade, Devin Booker, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem – they’re really good practice players,” Johnson said.

“They were all able to really bring it during practice.

“The amount of work it takes to get a contract at any level, the NBL, NBA, wherever you’re at, it takes a lot and you have to put your body through a lot.

“Not everybody is going to be a 20 point per game scorer. Where do you find your role, where do you fit in? Guys like D-Wade, guys like Chris Bosh, [they] were some of the first people to tell me that.”