Veteran Houston Rockets scout Brent ‘B.J.’ Johnson passed away Thursday night, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“B.J. was a standup and genuine human, and a basketball purist all over the world,” Charania wrote on Twitter.
“I’m stunned. Absolutely stunned,” added Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated. “B.J. was one of the most generous, caring, and humorous people I ever met with one of the greatest basketball IQs to boot. My prayers and condolences to his wife and his children.”
Rockets forward and native Houstonian Danuel House Jr. shared the news on Twitter with several sad emojis.
— DanuelKHouseJr (@DanuelHouseJr) October 16, 2020
Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the 65-year-old Johnson died in a bicycle accident. An avid rider, he typically rode his bike for approximately 30 miles per day, according to Feigen.
“He was riding his bike and hit a culvert,” said Johnson’s wife, Claudette. “There was construction. They are thinking he fell forward and broke his neck, because there was no blood.”
Devastating news. B.J. Johnson was as real as they get. Always up, always a friend to anyone, made you feel good when he was around and it's gut-wrenching to know he's not. Condolences to Claudette, Bijan, Michael, Ciara and his friends everywhere. https://t.co/kiEuw0fDkw
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) October 16, 2020
Johnson had worked in Houston’s basketball operations department since the 1994-95 championship season, which was then run by head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and general manager Carroll Dawson. He remained with the department through numerous coaching and leadership changes, primarily working to scout college and NBA players.
Johnson leaves behind a son and two stepchildren.
See below for a sampling of the immediate social media reactions from many connected with the Rockets and the broader NBA community.
Stunned and saddened about longtime Rockets scout BJ Johnson’s death. You won’t find a friendlier person in the NBA. So many players and scouts credited Johnson for helping them find their way in the league.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 16, 2020
BJ Johnson of our Rockets family passed tonight. A scout a father, a friend, always a uplifting spirit. 1986 he joined Rockets as a scout and has been in that role till now. I honor my friendship with him from when he lived next door to Ralph Sampson in Va. Your loved RIP HOSS!
— JOHN LUCAS ENT (@JLEnterprises) October 16, 2020
BJ was always willing to have a conversation. Even if it was in passing, just a warm-spirited person who genuinely cared how you were doing. This sucks.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) October 16, 2020
Nooooooo not BJ Johnson. When I was an unproven rookie, he helped give me a lot of confidence that I had a bright future, even when I didn't see it.. I wasn't even on his team. He always had some words of encouragement, or just kept it real with me. Prayers to his family 🙏🏾 .
— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) October 16, 2020
