A simple Illinois basketball social media graphic ignited a debate across the fanbase after Morez Johnson Jr. was left off the program's NBA Summer League post. Was it a snub, or are fans reading too much into the omission?
What may have been an innocent tweet by the Illinois basketball social media team has apparently sturred up some drama.
When Illinois basketball posted a graphic highlighting all the former Illini playing in the NBA Summer League starting this week, there was one notable omission: former forward Morez Johnson Jr.
The graphic generated significant responses as fans almost immediately noticed the absence of Johnson Jr. The debate around the social media post magnifies the complicated relationships in the modern collegiate athletics era between programs, players and fanbases.
The players mentioned in the graphic were all notable for Illini fans: Keaton Wagler (playing for the Los Angeles Clippers), Kylan Boswell (Charlotte Hornets), Ben Humrichous (Brooklyn Nets), Kasparas Jakucionis (Milwaukee Bucks), Will Riley (Washington Wizards), Justin Harmon (Utah Jazz), Coleman Hawkins (Denver Nuggets), Dain Dainja (Brooklyn Nets), and Luke Goode (Los Angeles Lakers.)
The argument cannot be made that Illinois did not want to acknowledge players who transferred out because Coleman Hawkins, Dain Dainja and Luke Goode clearly did, Goode going to Big Ten rival Indiana.
Which leaves us to Morez, why the snub?
Johnson Jr. left the Illinois program last offseason which devastated a lot of Illini fans who had grown an attachment to him since he had been committed to the Illini program for multiple years throughout high school.
When Johnson ultimately made the Michigan Wolverines his destination it felt like adding salt to the wound. While Illinois ended up having a very successful season in reaching the Final Four, Johnson also experienced success as the Wolverines won the Big Ten Conference and also the National Championship. Johnson Jr. was picked No. 9 overall to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft.
The question being debated is whether the Illinois basketball should be obligated to include Morez Johnson in tweets, and that is where I give an emphatic no.
It was notable that Johnson Jr. spoke to CNBC recently and when his tenure at Illinois was brought up, he responded “ I had plans of going back to Illinois, I wanted to, I’m from the southside of Chicago. I didn’t feel comfortable with my future being there.” Johnson had the opportunity to give a "politically correct" answer and not say anything negative towards Illinois but he chose a different path.
So why is Illinois basketball obligated to go out of their way every time to acknowledge Johnson Jr. in every future social media post as well?
I would argue they are not.
Every time Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is asked about Johnson, he always says very positive things. Underwood is the face of the basketball program and always has taken the high road.
By omitting Johnson from the graphic, it should not be implied that they are all of a sudden wishing Johnson bad luck moving forward. Maybe they are just ready to move on from the Johnson speak just like he was ready to move on a year ago today.
In today's social media, perception travels faster than explanation. A simple post on Thursday afternoon showed that there are still evolving dynamics between players, programs, and fans.
