After wearing No. 20 as a freshman at Texas, rookie Tre Johnson will begin his career in the NBA with the Washington Wizards with a new look on the court.

Johnson chose No. 20 to pay tribute to his father, Richard Johnson Jr., who wore it for four years at Baylor University and Midwestern State (Texas). Richard was inducted into the Midwestern State Hall of Honor after finishing with 1,009 points in two seasons.

Advertisement

The sixth pick in the 2025 NBA draft was forced to change numbers as second-year center Alexandre Sarr currently wears No. 20. He went with No. 12 and revealed a hilarious reason why he chose it during his introductory press conference on June 28.

While it appears as though there was little to no meaning behind choosing No. 12, Johnson still found a way to represent his father in the NBA: He asked the Wizards to include “Johnson III” on his jersey since he was named after him.

Johnson was the SEC Freshman of the Year last season, averaging 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 33 games on 39.7% shooting from 3-point range. He was the 10th player in program history to be honored as Freshman of the Year.

Advertisement

The 19-year-old debuted with the Wizards in the NBA Summer League, averaging 19.5 points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal on 45.5% shooting from 3-point range in two appearances. He finished with 21 points on July 13.

Johnson impressed the Wizards throughout the predraft process with his ability on the court, competitiveness and character. He is eager to get to work with the team, and will do so with a new jersey number.

Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA.

Previous: Cooper Flagg | Dylan Harper | VJ Edgecombe | Kon Knueppel | Ace Bailey

Advertisement

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Wizards news: Tre Johnson had a hilarious reason for wearing No. 12