Louisville Officially Announces Addition of London Johnson

The Louisville men's basketball program has officially signed former NBA G-League guard London Johnson, it was announced Tuesday.

Johnson will join the Cardinals later this winter, then redshirt the remainder of the 2025-26 season with the intention of playing next year. His signing comes one day before the end of the week-long Early Signing Period.

“We are excited to welcome London Johnson to our Louisville family,” head coach Pat Kelsey said in a statement. “London is a very talented point guard with size who also has the ability to play off the ball. London brings experience, talent, toughness and a winning mindset to our organization. He is a trailblazer in a lot of ways and has handled the unwarranted scrutiny like the mature, classy young man that he is.

"In my opinion, he deserves an opportunity to play collegiate basketball like every other player within his five-year window from high school. Times have changed and we choose to embrace change rather than just complain about it…especially when it creates opportunities for student athletes like London. Like all of the players that are welcomed into our organization, his life is about to change for the better, which is what we do, and we can’t wait to get him to campus to start that process.”

Johnson has spent the last three seasons in the G-League, splitting time between the Maine Red Claws - the affiliate for the Boston Celtics - and Cleveland Charge - the affiliate for the Cleveland Cavaliers - this past season. In 21 games and three starts, he put up 3.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Historically, once a player has made the jump to the pro level, they exhaust any and all collegiate eligibility they have left. However, last month, the NCAA's ruled that Thierry Darlan, who also had previously played in the G-League, was eligible to play D1 hoops at Santa Clara this upcoming season.

A native of Norcross, Ga., Johnson was four-star recruiting coming out of high school, regarded at the No. 46 prospect in the Class of 2022, per the 247Sports Composite. Despite holding offers from Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and then Louisville head coach Chris Mack, Johnson decided to go the professional route.

Johnson's signed a two-year, $1.1 million deal with the G-League Ignite, and he saw a good amount of success here. During the 2022-23 season, he averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds across 30 games and 14 starts. The next season, he put up 10.6 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 boards in 25 games and eight starts. He's shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 32.8 percent on threes during his time in the G-League.