It wasn’t just another game.
This was the second game of the season for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, but the first night of NBA on Prime Video. It was a prime time matchup on opening
weekend featuring a 2025 NBA playoff rematch. The Los Angeles faithful were out in full force, many of who were piling into restaurants and bars outside Crypto.com Arena to watch game one of the World Series between their local Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
There was a noticeable buzz in the air.
Both the Timberwolves social media team and Amazon Prime Video production staff were lined up along the court, eagerly filming Anthony Edwards’ every move hours before tip-off. The superstar swished a halfcourt shot and bellowed out, “Wardell!” as he dueled with assistance coach James White during their usual pregame shooting competition.
20 minutes later, Johnny Juzang took to the court.
The camera crews had dissipated by this point. Unlike his All-Star teammate, Juzang had to share his court time with multiple less ballyhooed teammates during warm-ups. I watched him work up a full sweat alongside his former college teammate, Jaylen Clark. During pregame media availability, my eyes caught him in the corner of the locker room having a quick bite. I had just written over 1,000 words about Juzang and what an Asian basketball player playing for my favorite basketball team meant to me.
I was able to get a private one-on-one conversation with him.
When I requested for Juzang, there was absolutely no obligation for him to abruptly spend valuable preparation time with me. When the Timberwolves staffer communicated to him, he stopped mid-bite and he made eye contact. He immediately nodded back to the staff member as a positive indicator.
Three years ago, Juzang was interviewed by Kevin Garnett in his series KG Certified: Young Lions. The show was designed to highlight young, up-and-coming basketball players. At the time, Juzang was only 20-years-old and in his junior year of college. An instant smile came across his face as he recalled the time he spent with the Timberwolves icon, realizing how he’s now dawning the same threads Garnett once wore.
“It is pretty cool cause I always have been a fan of KG and just his approach and energy to the game. You know what I’m saying? I didn’t even put that together. That’s a pretty cool full circle moment.”
In the 2022 spot, Garnett imparted wisdom to Juzang about playing mind games and using “trash talk” to his advantage. Right as I asked if he’d been able to adopt any of those strategies into his game, Joe Ingles walked by just to interject.
“ He uses it a lot.”
It drew a hearty laugh out of Juzang.
It helped break the ice as we talked more about his personal goals for the season. Despite going undrafted in 2022, Juzang clawed his way to consecutive two-way contracts with the Utah Jazz. He stood out enough to earn a multiyear contract with Utah a year ago, graduating from the G League and appearing in 64 NBA games. As the Jazz leaned heavier into using draft picks on swingmen, he was ultimately waived. The Timberwolves signed him to a non-guaranteed contract 77 days later for a chance to make the regular season roster.
“ All through the summer, I’ve really just working, man. Continuing to improve, just growing and expanding my game.”
He continuously reiterated how fervently he had been training this offseason and his readiness to help the team. In fact, when discussing his preparation for the season, he stated that he was “ready to contribute” six times in less than two minutes. The 24-year-old has ultimate confidence in his work ethic. It’s a mindset and aura that even Garnett, a notoriously try-hard, took note of when Juzang was a young college athlete.
How did that work manifest itself in October?
Juzang shot 43.8% from perimeter in preseason.
He earned himself a two-way contract with the Timberwolves.
His maturity as a basketball player has also evolved off the court. Instead of harping about his own situation or objectives, he shifted the focus back to a team-first mindset. When asked about his own hopes for the year, he prefaced it by talking about Minnesota
Much like the other young talented players on the Timberwolves roster, Juzang surely had an understanding that his minutes may not be as plentiful as they were on a tanking Jazz team. Eventually, he did reflect back on own situation. Was going from a multiyear contract back to a two-year contract a step back? What could it possibly mean for his future career in the NBA? His expression didn’t change, but his eyes looked down.
“The position I’m in is fine. It’s probably not what I thought going into season, but still, the season’s ahead of us and we’re here. When spots of opportunities come, I would love to help out and contribute to this team.”
Juzang still has yet to hit his prime and is entering just his fourth season in the league. Many other players are in a similar situation around the association. However, he is carrying the weight and hopes of fans around the world who connect with his Vietnamese-Creole ethnicity. As one of only two players of Vietnamese descent in the NBA, he shared how he has yet to visit his mother’s native country despite his desires.
“ I’m always training or getting going in the league in the summer. College, high school, you got AAU, you know what I mean?”
This includes this previous summer, as Juzang was fighting for his NBA life and transitioning to a new organization. His older brother, Christian, spent four years playing at Harvard University before being selected with the number one pick of the 2020 Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) draft. He averaged over 20 points while leading the league in assists, helping the Saigon Heat win their second title during his lone season in the VBA.
Johnny also has lofty aspirations in Vietnam.
“I’ve talked with big Jaylin Williams, over with the Thunder, about how we can how we can get this Vietnamese team rolling and just start climbing up that ladder. I think we can get the talent together so we’ve had a couple of those conversations trying to figure out when’s the right moment to strike.”
Two years ago, Wolves fans saw a former player embark on a similar journey. Li Kai’er (Kyle Anderson) played for the Chinese national team during the FIBA Basketball World Cup after exploring his Chinese ancestry. Johnny established a connection with Williams when they entered the same 2022 NBA draft class and the two of them have continued to touch base when their teams meet throughout the season.
Meanwhile, he continues to be fueled by support from both Asian fan bases and his hometown community in Southern California. Johnny grew up and went to high school school less than 15 miles away from where we were standing. His body language and eyes immediately lit up when asked about the love that he receives.
“That’s one of the most beautiful things behind it. I definitely always see and feel the love still, bro. It’s something that’s beautiful to see and always kind of keeps you going. It’s bigger than you. Especially once I get to come to LA, you know what I mean? It’s always love. So shout out to the city and the Asian community all over.”
The warmth in his voice radiated from his authenticity. Johnny continued to speak from his heart about what it means to represent for different groups of people who have supported his dreams.
We wrapped things up talking about his favorite Vietnamese foods that he grew up eating (Traditional eggrolls and vermicelli noodles). He assured me that both his mother and grandmother had a deep bag of delicious recipes. Perhaps one Canis Hoopus could add to their recipe book after a tough night.
When I left the tunnel, I was blinded by a sea of yellow and purple jerseys. It was full of jerseys donning the usual numbers of 24, 23, and 77. I did spot a few specks of blue and black. Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid were represented. There wasn’t a single Minnesota #9 Juzang jersey in sight. In a league where Asian players are still a vast minority, I didn’t expect to see the jersey of one, let alone of a player on a two-way contract. However, less than 48 hours later, I was was in attendance at a Los Angeles Clippers home game against the Portland Trail Blazers. I saw more jerseys of Yang Hansen, a rookie out of China who’s averaging less than six minutes a game, than any other player on Portland’s roster.
The fanbase is there. And it’s growing.
For Johnny, Friday night was an opportunity to spread his light to these fan bases. To thousands of local Southern California kids. To millions of aspiring Asian American athletes. To hundreds of millions of people of Vietnamese descent around the globe.
It wasn’t just another game.
