Phoenix Suns' Cameron Johnson became Bengals fan hating Steelers, being 'C. Johnson'
It turns out Chris Paul isn't the only Phoenix Suns player impressed with the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff run.
Paul sent a signed jersey to Bengals rookie receiver Ja'Marr Chase a few days ago after tweeting last month - after the Bengals' first playoff win in 31 years - that he needed a Chase jersey.
Paul's Phoenix teammate, Cam Johnson, wore a Chase jersey as he explained on ESPN's "NBA Today" that his love for the Bengals grew from a hatred of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the fact that a star Bengals receiver from his youth - Chad Johnson - also is a "C. Johnson."
"So, growing up in Pittsburgh, I was a Steelers fan kinda for the first five, six years of my life," Johnson said. "And then my dad - he grew up in South Carolina - and he grew up a Cowboys fan. So he did not like the Steelers growing up. So around the age of like 7, he was just talking bad about the Steelers. He didn't really like them. And he kinda convinced myself and my three brothers to not like them either. At the time, the Bengals had Chad Johnson - who had 'C. Johnson' on the back of his jersey. Tiger stripes on the sleeve. The new jerseys they had at the time around like '04. There it is right there. I had that jersey right there. It was the first jersey I ever got. And, you know, just being a 'C. Johnson' myself - I loved it. And became a Bengals fan, been one ever since."
Johnson and Suns teammate (and Rams fan) Mikal Bridges also talked about bets they made on the game - involving wearing the winning team's jersey and a lemonade stand.
And earlier this week, Johnson compared the Suns' turnaround to the Bengals rebounding from a 4-11-1 season in 2020.
NBA players who are fans of the Bengals also include the Miami Heat's Kyle Guy and the Los Angeles Clippers' Luke Kennard, a former Franklin High School standout.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Suns' Johnson became Bengals fan hating Steelers, being 'C. Johnson'
