Shannon Johnson

Shannon Regina Johnson ( born August 18, 1974 in Hartsville, South Carolina, United States) is a professional basketball player. Since 2009 she plays for the Seattle Storm in the Women's National Basketball Association.

Career

College and ABL (1992 to 1998)

Johnson studied from 1992 to 1996 at the University of South Carolina. During her time at the College Johnson also played for the women's basketball team at the University of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

After her college Johnson moved to the American Basketball League, where she was selected by the Columbus Quest in the ABL Draft in 1996 in the eighth round at the 61st overall. Johnson played two seasons for the quest with which they won the championship in 1997 and 1998. After that, the ABL was dissolved after only two seasons back; thus she had to end her career at an early stage in the ABL.

WNBA (since 1999)

Since the ABL was disbanded, Johnson moved as many players in the ABL in the Women's National Basketball Association. At the post - expansion draft player Allocation 1999, she was assigned to the expansion franchise Orlando Miracle. Johnson was renowned for it played right from the first season to an important part of the Miracle total of four seasons. Johnson was at this time not only one of the best players of the Miracle, but also the entire league, so it was also in 1999, 2000 and 2002, elected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team. In the 2002 season, they played their best ever season as they scored an average of 16.1 points and 5.3 assists per game. However, the large mannschaftliche success was with the Miracle. Only in the 2000 season, they reached the playoffs with Orlando, with whom she does not make it past the first round. In 2002, the Miracle were sold at Mohegan Sun, who had to move to Connecticut the franchise and changed the name of the team in Sun. In its first and only season for the Sun, it was selected the last time the All-Star team, scoring with an average of 12.4 points per game the last time a double-digit points section. With the Sun reached the playoffs for the second time where they were beaten in the Conference Finals against the eventual champions eliminated the Detroit Shock. After that season, she was transferred to the San Antonio Silver Stars for the 4th, 16th and 29th draft pick in the draft in 2004, together with the 21 and 34 draft pick in the WNBA Draft 2004. Johnson played three seasons for the Silver Stars with whom they never reached the playoffs. Johnson scored in all three seasons, averaging over 9 points per game. On 6 March, she signed a contract with the reigning champions the Detroit Shock. Due to the quality of the squad Shock they got nowhere near as much playing time as in the previous seasons, which also had a negative impact on their average points etc.. Nevertheless, they first reached the WNBA Finals this season. However, they lost with the Shock against the Phoenix Mercury in the fifth and deciding game of the series. On 7 March 2008, she signed a one year contract again this time with the Houston Comets. In Houston they got though again more playing time, but remained with the miss of the playoffs the mannschaftliche success again. After the Comets einstellten their playing mode after this season she signed with Seattle Storm. Since the Storm in the 2009 season, much like the Shock in 2007, provide a very strong squad, their season is again much lower than in the previous season.

National (2004)

Johnson won with the U.S. national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the gold medal.