Hawks’ Ivan Johnson: ‘I Don’t Really Watch Basketball’

Atlanta Hawks forward Ivan Johnson, who’s become something of a sensation with amateur comedians on Twitter, tells the AJC that he’s not intimidated by NBA players because he has no clue who many of them are. Awesome: “Forgive Ivan Johnson if he doesn’t know exactly who he is playing against. It didn’t matter to the 27-year-old rookie when he was in training camps with the Hawks trying to make their roster. It doesn’t matter now when he’s making an impact at the NBA level. ‘My thing is, I don’t really watch basketball so I don’t know who anybody is,’ Johnson said after sinking two free throws with 4.6 seconds left to give the Hawks a 93-91 victory over the Timberwolves Saturday. ‘So when I match up against them, they are a regular player. I know the major players like LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], [Dwyane] Wade but all the extra ones I don’t know. Even if I did know them, I’m not going to be afraid. We are playing basketball.’ […] ‘I’m very intrigued with him,’ coach Larry Drew said Sunday. ‘I like the energy that he brings. He plays hard. He goes after the ball on the glass. He plays with a physicality. I’ve been preaching that with our big guys from day one. If he keeps playing like he’s playing, I’m going to have to find more minutes for him.'”