David Johnson Suffers Shoulder Injury Out 4-6 Months

Mark BlankenbakerJuly 25, 2019

David Johnson, a 6-5 freshman guard on the University of Louisville men’s basketball team, suffered a shoulder injury in practice on Monday and will be sidelined potentially 4-6 months.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination at the Norton Diagnostic Center revealed damage to his left (non-shooting) shoulder, an injury which occurred during a team workout on Monday. He will have surgery to repair the damage soon.

“This is tough news on David for sure,” said UofL Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mack. “I feel badly for DJ because of his excitement level to start his college career. He was having an excellent summer to date and we will miss him over the next few months. Knowing David’s work ethic, he will put in the time to get back as quickly as possible and be ready to impact our team this season. ”

A four-year starter at Trinity High School in Louisville, Johnson averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and four assists as a senior last season while leading the Shamrocks to a 30-8 record and the Kentucky state championship. He was the MVP of the Kentucky Sweet 16 state championship, totaling 22 points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and two assists in Trinity’s victory over Scott County in the title game.

Johnson was honored as the 2019 Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com Player of the Year and was a first team all-state selection. He earned Seventh Region Player of the Year honors from the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches and the Courier Journal. He totaled 1,472 points and 719 rebounds in his career at Trinity.