KENSINGTON — Some players put on their headphones and listen to music and others meditate, but Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson has an unconventional pre-game ritual: pottery. 

The habit started in high school when Johnson wanted to be alone before a game. He went to the place he knew no one would expect to find him — the pottery studio — to focus before his games. Johnson joined Nets fan and professional ceramicist Michelle Wen in her Kensington studio on Thursday, March 27, for a private lesson. 

“It definitely gives you something to mentally get away,” Johnson said. “I picked up the hobby so I could get away from basketball and try something totally different, but still be creative.”

As the two worked side-by-side at the wheel, they talked about similarities between pottery and basketball and Wen’s introduction to the NBA through astrology. Wen noted that as a Pisces, Johnson has an intuition that makes him good at shooting three-pointers. 

Johnson participated in the pottery lesson as part of an initiative to emphasize the Nets and players’ community involvement. As the season continues, Nets players will continue making appearances at community events.