Mavericks rookie Morez Johnson Jr. threw out the first pitch before the White Sox beat the Mets 2-1 on Sunday, capping a weekend home in Chicago.
Morez Johnson Jr. threw out the first pitch at Rate Field on Sunday. He wore a customized Chicago White Sox jersey with his own last name on the back and No. 21 under it, and Air Jordan Retro 5s to match.
Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News was at the ballpark and reported the visit. White Sox left-hander Bryan Hudson took the throw, signed the ball afterward, and posed for a photo with the Dallas Mavericks rookie.
Johnson put the pitch at an 8.5 out of 10. Moriah Johnson, his sister, put it at a 9.0.
The White Sox won 2-1 in front of 27,721 when Tristan Peters hit a solo home run off Kodai Senga with one out in the ninth inning.
The weekend also brought Johnson's second annual Back to School giveaway at Washington Elementary School in Riverdale, Ill. His father, Morez Johnson Sr., his mother, Natasha Jones, and Moriah were with him for most of it, along with a large group of friends and family.
Washington is Johnson's own grade school. He led it to the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A eighth-grade state title in 2019-20. In the championship game, a 41-36 win over Decatur Robertson, he scored a game-high 16 points. The team finished 26-0.
Johnson's father often watched the White Sox in the afternoons, leading Johnson to end up on the South Side instead of with the Cubs.
"Just creating memories," Johnson told The Dallas Morning News. He called it an honor to throw a first pitch for a South Side club.
The jersey number 21 is his favorite, except in Dallas. He wore 21 for three years at St. Rita High School, and also for two seasons in college at Illinois and Michigan. When he attended Thornton Township as a senior, the number was already assigned, so he chose 12 instead.
Both parents' birthdays are on the seventh: his mother's in October and his father's in June.
"Three 7s are good luck, and 21 is taken," Johnson said at his introductory press conference on June 25.
Daniel Gafford has been wearing number 21 in Dallas since the Mavericks acquired him in February 2024, while Johnson chose number 14.
Dallas took Johnson ninth on June 23 at Barclays Center and held the 30th and 48th picks that night as well. It was the first lottery pick made under president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz. Johnson signed a four-year rookie scale contract worth $30,745,156, with $13,847,880 guaranteed, according to Spotrac. He makes $6,754,800 this season.
Johnson averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds in 40 games at Michigan last season while shooting 62.3% from the field. He made second-team All-Big Ten and the conference's all-defensive team, started every game of the Wolverines' national championship season, and was named to the Final Four all-tournament team. He declared for the draft on April 24.
Johnson started eight of 30 games as a freshman at Illinois and averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds. He transferred to Michigan in April 2025.
Johnson was Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2024 and the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year that same year, after transferring from St. Rita to Thornton Township for his senior season. He has gold medals from the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup.
In the Summer League opener against Golden State on July 9, Johnson scored 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting with 8 rebounds and 3 steals in a 101-90 loss. Two nights later, he had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks versus Los Angeles. Calf soreness ended his week after those games.
Johnson played for Dusty May at Michigan. The Mavericks hired May on June 22, the day before the draft.
Dallas has 16 players on standard contracts and has to be at 15 by opening night. Gafford is in the first season of a three-year, $54 million extension he signed last summer.
The Mavericks open the preseason against the Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena in Macao on Oct. 9 and play there again Oct. 11. The other two preseason games are at American Airlines Center, New Orleans on Oct. 14 and Atlanta on Oct. 16. The regular season begins Oct. 21 at Houston.
