While Kobe Bryant was the ultimate cold-blodded assassin, arguably the best isolation scorer of his generation and one of the most clutch players ever, another shooting guard slowly started to make his mark in the 2000s.
Of course, we’re talking about Joe Johnson, or Iso Joe, if you prefer. Known off the court as a huge snake lover, on the hardwood, Johnson was always quiet but deadly, much like his favourite animal. Even though the nickname “Black Mamba” belonged to Bryant, Johnson definitely fit that category.
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Maciej Lampe, the retired Polish player who shared the locker room with Johnson during the 2004-05 season with the Phoenix Suns, recalled Iso Joe’s incredible work ethic in an exclusive interview with Basketball Network.
“Joe was also a workaholic. Joe used to stay after practice for hours and shoot. The thing about Joe is, you know, he was always kind of a quiet player, but completely poised. He was a perfectionist. So when I tell you he would stay and shoot after practice, we would literally have a two-hour practice, and the guy would stay another hour and put up his shots. It wasn’t like a once-a-week thing. This guy used to do it every single day,” Lampe recalled.
Joe was one of the most lethal scorers of his generation
Lampe’s words are the best proof of how much Johnson worked on his game once the cameras were off. He was a true student of the game, and it was in Phoenix that he made that career leap, transforming from a solid role-player into a proven offensive weapon. Those were the days when the kid from Arkansas started becoming a star.
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Although Joe didn’t finish his career with major individual or team accolades, he was one of the most lethal scorers of his generation. In 2010, when he signed the biggest contract in the league with the Atlanta Hawks, it was clear the NBA had gained a new superstar at the shooting guard position.
In the end, Johnson retired as a seven-time NBA All-Star. He had a six-season span in which he played all 82 regular-season games five times, which only further proves just how much he worked on and off the court to extend his game. With eight career buzzer-beater game winners, he shares second place on the all-time list with Kobe and LeBron James, trailing only Michael Jordan with nine. Considering he always shone when the game was on the line, Johnson onceopened up about his clutch moments on the court.
“I love those moments. Like I say, me being 6’7″, 6’8″, one-on-one at the end of the game, I don’t care who you are, man, it’s gonna be hard to stop me,” Johnson remarked about clutch situations.
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Johnson worked hard on his craft
Going back to Lampe’s words, none of this would have been possible without the hard work Johnson put in once everyone else went home. He perfected his offensive game, created countless unforgettable moments in his career, played for some very good teams and proved that he could fit into any system.
At his peak with the Hawks, Johnson averaged 25.0 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. He also played for Team USA, enjoyed a career that stretched for 20 years and for the 2000s generation, he will always be remembered as one of the most lethal one-on-one players in history.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.