LANGLEY, B.C., July 8, 2023 – The Vancouver Bandits announced Saturday that the club has signed two-time Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Champion Marlon Johnson Jr.
Nicknamed the “Dunk King” through his highlight-worthy hops, the 6-foot-10 forward from Chicago, IL brings size, style and three years of CEBL experience to the Bandits roster.
Suiting up for the Saskatchewan Rattlers in 2019 and the Edmonton Stingers in 2021 and 2022, Johnson has started in all 50 CEBL regular season games he has appeared in averaging 27.0 minutes, 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. Johnson’s accolades include two CEBL championships in 2019 and 2021 and All-CEBL Second Team honours in 2021.
Recently, Johnson split the 2022-23 season across three clubs including the Taichung Suns of the Taiwan T1 League, Dynamo Club of Lebanon and Al Aly Benghazi in the Libya Division I League. His overseas career also includes stints in Spain, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Finland.
Prior to turning professional, Johnson played two years of NCAA DII basketball with the New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys from 2015 to 2017, where he was named to the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Second Team for the 2016-17 season.
Johnson will join the Bandits tomorrow night as the club takes on the league-leading Ottawa BlackJacks at home after a loss versus Edmonton earlier this week. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at Langley Events Centre tomorrow, Sunday, July 9.
Single game tickets for the fifth season of Bandits Basketball are available for purchase at this link. A key highlight of Vancouver’s fifth CEBL campaign will be its hosting of Championship Weekend, which takes place between Friday, August 11 and Sunday, August 13. An annual celebration of the highest level of Canadian professional basketball, Championship Weekend features a postseason format that combines three games of playoff basketball as part of a multi-day festival experience designed to celebrate the intersection of arts, culture and sport. As hosts of Championship Weekend, the Bandits receive an automatic berth in the conference finals doubleheader to be played on Friday, August 11.
Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ 2023 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email [email protected]. A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.
More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.
About the Vancouver Bandits
The Vancouver Bandits are British Columbia’s professional basketball team. As the westernmost club in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), the Bandits offer an entertainment experience that combines a fast-paced game day atmosphere with a presentation of some of Canada’s top professional athletes within a world-class venue at Langley Events Centre (LEC).
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.