Longtime scout Johnson dies after bicycle accident
Longtime Rockets personnel scout Brent “B. J.” Johnson, a well-known and popular fixture throughout basketball, died Thursday evening following a bicycle accident in Houston. Johnson was 65.
“He was riding his bike and hit a culvert,” Johnson’s wife, Claudette, said. “There was construction. They are thinking he fell forward and broke his neck because there was no blood.”
Johnson was one of the longest-tenured members of the Rockets organization, having worked in the basketball operations department since the 1994-95
championship season under former coach Rudy Tomjanovich and general manager Carroll Dawson. He remained a valuable voice within the team’s basketball operations department through many coaching and leadership changes, working to scout college and NBA players.
He was widely respected throughout basketball, but even more well-liked, known for a love of the game, a genuine enthusiasm and friendships in all levels of the game.
“B. J. was always true to himself,” Claudette Johnson said. “He never met a stranger, never. He never shut his mouth. He talked forever. Everybody was family to him. It wasn’t about the game, it was about loving the game, which he did with all his heart. He loved the game of basketball, loved his job.”
An avid rider, Johnson would typically ride his bicycle for 30 miles a day.
Johnson leaves a son, Bijan Johnson, a stepson, Michael Mitchell, and stepdaughter, Ciara Brown.