ATLANTA — Raven Johnson couldn’t wait to eat at American Deli.
Johnson’s mother, Shekia Johnson, picked her up from the Indiana Fever team hotel Friday and immediately went to the rookie’s favorite Atlanta-based restaurant.
“We’re in the car, and her first thing was, ‘Oh my God, I’m home. I miss Atlanta,” Shekia said.
Raven returned home to Atlanta for the first time as a WNBA player and suited up for the Fever in their game against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday. With Shekia and other family members sitting behind the Fever bench, Raven posted nine points on 4 of 6 shooting, six rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes.
The Fever were unable to capture Johnson a homecoming win as the Dream defeated Indiana 113-96. But Saturday’s loss is minute compared to the magnitude of the moment for the 23-year-old rising star.
Johnson was back in the city that forged her into a “competitive” and “fly” player.
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A moment to ‘cherish,’ Fever rookie Raven Johnson returns home
Johnson refused to take no for an answer.
Prominent Atlanta-based trainer Justin Holland told the friend who introduced Johnson to him that he doesn’t train girls. Holland was busy molding a 14-year-old Anthony Edwards and other McDonald’s All-Americans.
But rejection couldn’t deny an ambitious freshman girl eager to make her late grandfather proud. Johnson sat on the bench daily at Holland’s base gym in College Park and watched the boys practice.
Persistence prevailed.
Holland was short a player one day and needed someone to guard one of the freshman boys.
“(Raven) was sitting there and I said, ‘Come hop in the drill,’” Holland recalled. “At the level she competed against that boy, I was like, ‘I got you, you with me forever.”
Holland said he “didn’t take it easy on (Raven),” Holland urged the boys to guard Johnson “honestly,” he said, and praised Johnson for accepting the challenge.
“Atlanta taught me how to make it out of the mud,” Johnson told IndyStar, a nod to her grueling six-day-a-week training sessions with Holland and Edwards in high school.
Johnson won four state titles at Westlake High School in Atlanta. Johnson hasn’t forgotten the days when she was ranked No. 42 in the nation as a freshman in high school. By the conclusion of her time at Westlake, Johnson was the second-ranked recruit in the nation.
Johnson committed to South Carolina, where she played from 2021 to 2026 and won two national titles. The Fever selected Johnson with the 10th pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft in April.
“One thing about successful people is the consistency in how hard they work. Raven has worked hard from the first time I saw her,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told IndyStar. “Then, when you add listening, being coachable, wanting to be successful, wanting all the things that you wrote about and the goals you set for yourself being checked off, you get Raven.”
Johnson began playing basketball in the fourth grade. Johnson’s grandparents, Rodrick and Connie Boone, introduced Johnson and her twin brother Richard to the sport.
Johnson was hesitant to play basketball because it wasn’t “girly” enough. Cheer and gymnastics piqued her interest.
“I thought basketball was the most disgusting sport. I didn’t like sweat,” Johnson said.
Atlanta was a fashion hub and for a young Johnson, looking “prissy” and playing defense weren’t a compatible duo. Until she saw 2009 Indiana Miss Basketball Skylar Diggins. She was the “pretty girl” to Johnson, a source of confirmation that athletics and culture could coexist.
Now, she has no shame in controlling the aux and infusing the Fever locker room with old-school R&B. Staley jokingly got upset with Johnson because South Carolina freshman and French native Alicia Tournebize tried to talk like Johnson.
The Dream acquired forward Angel Reese via trade in April. Reese has known Johnson since they were roughly 12 years old. Reese said she leaned on Johnson for recommendations in Atlanta when she first arrived.
”People want to be like her,” Holland said. “Her style, her personality, swag, charisma and her competitive nature, because that’s one thing about us Georgians man, we want to be the best in everything.”
Fever guard Caitlin Clark said Johnson is always watching film and asking questions. Clark called Johnson’s drive to improve “admirable.” Shekia applauded Raven for her willingness to impact the game beyond scoring for the sake of the team.
Shekia didn’t get “too emotional” when she saw her daughter play in Atlanta for the first time as a WNBA player. The “gamer” inside her wouldn’t permit. But she understands the gravity Raven has to young girls in Atlanta.
Time was limited during the road trip. Two days proved insufficient to relive her childhood pastimes. Long gone are the days of skating with friends at Cascade Family Skating or playing around Centennial Park. Johnson’s a professional now. But the memories of old make her appreciate Saturday all the more.
“I remember writing moments like this down on my visualization board,” Johnson said. “I’m cherishing the moment.”
Multiple stars were in attendance Saturday. Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum, Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, rapper Latto and TV sitcom legend Jaleel White graced State Farm Arena with their presence.
Then there was the 23-year-old rookie. The hometown girl.
Somewhere among the record crowd of 17,608 people, sat another child, filled with the belief that one day they’ll be a star. One who can rock Pucci-designed nails, dress fly, and still cause a problem on the court.
The legacy Johnson has left in Georgia is undeniable.
Now it’s time to make her mark in the WNBA.
Atlanta is behind her. Indianapolis follows.
“The greatness that I see in her long term is not just on the court — she can take her talents and use them to impact the world and impact a new generation of young ladies that look up to her, because they strive to be exactly like her. I’m already seeing it,” Holland said. “She always used to say she wanted to be girly, competitive and fly.
“I don’t think she realized how powerful that statement is, because there’s a generation of young girls that are embodying that sentiment right now that want to be the next Raven Johnson.”
Joshua Heron is an enterprise and Fever reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @HeronReports. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter. Subscribe to IndyStar TV: Fever for in-depth analysis, behind-the-scenes coverage and more.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fever rookie’s greatness brought her home, living a dream, showing she can ‘impact the world’
Reporting by Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Joshua Heron, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
