Norman Powell was an All-Pac-12 conference player for UCLA, heading to the NBA Draft. Powell worked out for several teams pre-draft, including with the Toronto Raptors , the team that eventually traded for him on draft night.
During a recent live stream with N3on, Powell recalled the first time he traveled to Toronto to work out with them. Interestingly, Norm revealed that the player whom he noticed first and who would later help him transition to the NBA was ironically the man they called the most feared and dangerous player in the NBA, James Johnson .
"Shoutout to James Johnson . First time ever meeting him, he gave me his Jordans off his feet. I was coming in for pre-draft for Toronto and he walking into the locker room while I was getting ready. He walked by and I was like, 'This is dope' and went up, did my pre-draft, came back and he had them sitting in my locker room where I was at. Shoutout to my guy; I ended up getting drafted by Toronto and going there. He was a big help," Johnson said.
Johnson was the veteran player who was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing fighter before taking up basketball seriously. JJ was drafted 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2009 but traded to the Raptors during his rookie year. Although Toronto traded him too and he bounced around the league after that, Johnson was re-signed by the Raptors in 2014 and played there until 2016.
Meanwhile, Powell was drafted in 2015, so he got a chance to play with the player known as "Bloodsport" because of his combat sports background. However, while many feared Johnson, he welcomed Powell to Toronto by giving him his J's, which Norm laid eyes on. That started a friendship that helped Norm navigate his early NBA career. But as he said, JJ wasn't the only one.
"Obviously, Kyle and DeMar, huge help. Got me big brothers, DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph coming off a championship with the Spurs. Toronto, we were stacked. Patrick Patterson, all my guys. These are all my vets. I love them."
A lot has happened since Norm's rookie season. After he became a key reserve for Toronto, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and then went to the L.A. Clippers, where he had the best years of his NBA career. Powell played for the Miami Heat last season, where he was named to his first-ever All-Star team.
Meanwhile, Johnson is now retired and plays for Ice Cube's BIG3 league, where he was this year's BIG3 Rookie of the Year. He was recently interviewed during a BIG3 broadcast and he talked about how much better he still is in MMA than basketball and that he would've beaten MMA GOAT Jon Jones if they fought when he was still in his prime .
Back to Powell, Norm signed a two-year deal worth $45 million with the Chicago Bulls as he continues his NBA career in the Eastern Conference. Hopefully, he will be the veteran presence who will help Caleb Wilson adjust to the NBA.
Not only that, with players like Matas Budezelis, Josh Giddey , Nic Claxton , and Isaac Okoro , Chicago fans are hoping that Powell can provide the veteran presence to take them to the next level.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
