Former Kentucky star wins championship, earns MVP honors in China

Former University of Kentucky star Dakari Johnson averaged a double-double and helped lead his team to a league championship in China.

Anuyi Wenyi got 20 points and 15 rebounds Friday from Johnson en route to a 112-87 victory and an NBL finals sweep against Guangxi Weizhuang.

Johnson, who was named the NBL Finals MVP, averaged 25.3 points, 15.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in the four-game series. He shot 64.1 percent from the field.

That came after the ex-Cat averaged 25.9 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the regular season. He was third in the league in rebounding and ninth in blocks (0.9).

UK Coach John Calipari tweeted Friday night: “Congratulations to @DakariJohnson on winning a championship and the MVP of the finals in China! Dakari is a battler who always gives it everything he has. And he’s getting close to earning his degree too!”

Johnson responded: “Thanks coach appreciate you ... few more classes ...”

This story was originally published August 23, 2019 at 9:31 PM.