James Johnson, Isaiah Stewart Voted NBA Stars Players Would Least Want to Fight

Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson's purported martial arts experience made him the most intimidating player in the NBA for a fourth straight season, according to an anonymous player poll by The Athletic.

Out of 141 players voting, 63.1 percent named Johnson the player they would "least like to fight," according to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Josh Robbins.

The Detroit Pistons' Isaiah Stewart came in second with 13.5 percent of the vote. According to Amick and Robbins, one player specifically cited Stewart's on-court altercation with LeBron James in 2021 as the reason for their vote.

Johnson has seen infrequent court time during his three seasons with the Pacers. This year, he has appeared in 12 games and averaged just over three minutes per contest, last playing in a March 10 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

However, throughout his NBA career, Johnson has frequently cited his MMA and kickboxing experience, going so far as to claim he could defeat UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a fight last fall.

NBA players are apparently wary of that enough to name him as the most intimidating opponent in the league despite his limited minutes.

Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, who finished second to Johnson on The Athletic's last three anonymous player polls, ranked third this spring with 11.3 percent of the player vote, according to Amick and Robbins.

One player told Amick and Robbins about Adams: “He is stronger than you could ever possibly believe. You can deal with crazy when it comes to skirmishes and stuff, but he has this calm demeanor about him that he doesn’t say much or do much. But he just would overpower you and squish you with his thumb. You kind of have to worry about the quiet ones. Those are ones that you have to keep your eye out for.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder's Luguentz Dort, Detroit Pistons' Jalen Duren, Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez and New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson each received at least one percent of the player vote, according to Amick and Robbins.