James Johnson had a very James Johnson-esque cameo during Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.
The Indiana Pacers forced a Game 7 with a 108-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The Pacers’ convincing win sets up a winner-take-all game in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
With the game already decided late in the fourth quarter, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle decided to empty his bench. That meant some run for Indiana veteran forward James Johnson, a fan favorite.
Johnson ended up playing just two minutes though … because he got ejected. Almost as quickly as Johnson entered the game, he was thrown out because of an incident with Thunder rookie forward Dillon Jones.
The 38-year-old Johnson was getting into rebounding position off a shot attempt by his Pacers teammate Thomas Bryant and shoulder-charged Jones, who was trying to box him out. Upon review by the officials, Johnson was tossed from the game.
james johnson pic.twitter.com/4E8320GOxt
— Lopo (@bballforpeople) June 20, 2025
Johnson ended up getting a loud ovation from the Pacers faithful as he walked off to the showers.
James Johnson got ejected after 2 minutes pic.twitter.com/i85DUtUt9R
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) June 20, 2025
The 16-year NBA veteran Johnson finished the night with one missed shot and no other statistics to his name (other than the ejection). He had made a three-minute cameo earlier in the Finals during garbage time of Game 2, which Oklahoma City won convincingly.
Nicknamed “Bloodsport,” Johnson is a karate black belt who is known for his physical style of play. While he almost never gets any minutes these days, it was great to see Johnson pay tribute in the Finals to his former teammate Udonis Haslem with the quick-hit ejection.
