Kobe Johnson was a captain for the USC men’s basketball program last season. He is the newest member of the UCLA Bruins.
His transfer across town is the most hilarious representation of the transfer portal era.
Johnson, a former three-star prospect, committed to play for the Trojans in the Class of 2021. Head coach Andy Enfield put him in the starting lineup as a sophomore.
The 6-foot-6 Milwaukee-native stepped up in a big way and earned the respect of his teammates. As a result, he was named a captain ahead of what was expected to be a big season for him and the team.
USC ultimately struggled (in part due to injuries) and did not make the postseason. Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals in 31 minutes per game over 31 games.
The most important shot of his junior year came against UCLA. He knocked down a triple from the corner to ice an important rivalry win on the road.
Johnson was fired up after the game and threw ‘4s Down’ to troll the Bruins.
UCLA uses ‘4s Up’ as its hand signal— to represent its “8-clap” chant. Johnson turned it upside down after the Crosstown Rivalry win.
And then Enfield bounced for the same job at SMU shortly after year’s end.
Not long thereafter, Johnson hit the portal. He ultimately committed to play for USC’s most-hated rival.
In the most ironic fashion possible, his commitment post included the caption “4s Up!”
His ‘4s Up’ post went live exactly 40 days after he threw ‘4s Down’ right in the face of the school to which he is now committed. The stark contrast in Johnson’s hand signal switch is the perfect representation of the chaos that is the transfer portal.
Next year’s college basketball matchup between Kobe Johnson and his former team will be electric!