Tulane Alum Linton Johnson Makes Bulls Roster

Former Tulane University forward Linton Johnson is one of 15 players who made the Chicago Bulls’ opening day roster for the NBA season which opened on Tuesday night. The Bulls open their 2003-04 slate this evening.

NBA teams can have 12 players on their active rosters and up to three players on the injured list. After an excellent preseason camp with the Bulls, Johnson begins his NBA career on the injured list.

Johnson, who completed his eligibility at Tulane in 2002, spent the last year completing his degree in finance at Tulane. He was invited to the Bulls preseason camp as a non-roster player and improbably won a position with the team through hard work and determination.

An October 21st Chicago Tribune article, read “Coaches are enamored with Johnson's work ethic, athletic ability and role-playing mentality.”

“It is great to see Linton succeed at the next level of basketball,” Tulane coach Shawn Finney said. “He is such a tremendous athlete, I always hoped he would get his shot, and it is good to see him taking full advantage of his opportunities. But I am still most proud that he took the time to complete his education here at Tulane. I hope he has a long NBA career, but if not, he will always have an outstanding degree to fall back on.”

Johnson, a 6-7 forward, played for the Green Wave from 1998 to 2002, scoring 712 career points to go with 523 rebounds. He closed his career ranked fourth all-time in blocked shots (99) and 16th all-time in rebounds. He is also the seventh-ranked player all-time in offensive rebounds at Tulane with 211. A Chicago native, he starred at Providence St. Mel High School. His uncle, Mickey Johnson, played for the Bulls in the late 70s, wearing the same number 8 that Linton has selected for himself.

The Tulane men’s basketball team opens its 2003-04 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 11th, hosting Vasda in an exhibition game at Fogelman Arena at 7 p.m. The regular-season opener is on Tuesday, Nov. 25 when the Green Wave hosts Southern as part of a Tulane basketball doubleheader. The Wave women play Oregon State at 6 p.m., followed by the men’s game against the Jaguars.