James Johnson once beat up a Heat teammate who called him 'a b*tch'

Adebayo stated that he told Johnson to not beat up the player, only to be told to stay out of it. Haslem wildly revealed that the Heat locker room is like the Hunger Games and that players had to sort out their differences right away. So, the fight took place and it was not a pretty sight. “I watched that s***,” Adebayo said. “The funniest part about it, dog, JJ end up balling, I’m talking about beating this man up… JJ got done he said, ‘You aight?’ And then walked out. This man crying, sniveling.” -via Fade Away World / December 30, 2023

Haslem revealed the two hugged it out later and stated that’s how things go down in Miami. I do wonder what led to that player using that word on someone like Johnson. You’re talking about a man who has a black belt in karate and who claims to have fought in MMA, so the last thing anyone would want to do is get on his bad side. -via Fade Away World / December 30, 2023

The Pacers signed James Johnson officially the day after that moment in Milwaukee, but that was just a coincidence. They had been communicating for weeks about a reunion. But Johnson didn’t like what happened with the Pacers after their game against the Bucks last week. “All those people, they don’t know what transpired before all that.” Johnson said when asked about the timing of being signed just after the fracas in Milwaukee. The agreement was already in the works. “When [the scrum with the Bucks] happened, I was upset. I called Tyrese [Haliburton] right away. I was upset. I didn’t like it. I thought it was cheap,” he said. -via Sports Illustrated / December 20, 2023