James Johnson checked into Game 6 of the NBA Finals, soaked in the applause from Pacers fans like a cult hero entering a coliseum—and then got tossed out faster than a rookie trying to guard Allen Iverson in his prime. Two minutes. That’s all it took for the most feared man in the NBA to shake up the Finals, prove a point, and reinforce his status as Indiana’s unspoken bouncer.

The Pacers had a 17-point lead with under a minute left, so coach Rick Carlisle threw in his end-of-bench vets to kill time. But nobody expected James Johnson to come in, clock in, and check out like he was running late for a black belt seminar.

As the altercation with Dillon Jones unfolded, the broadcast booth was in full nostalgia mode. “James Johnson, who we just waxed poetic about… just got ejected!” Mike Breen exclaimed, still reeling from a monologue that included Reggie Miller, Metta World Peace, Dale Davis, and Rick Smits. “Go ahead and make your mark in the Finals,” added Richard Jefferson, as if this was all part of Johnson’s brand.

The actual incident? Johnson, going for an offensive board, got body-checked by Jones. Instead of letting it slide like a yoga instructor on peace pills, the black belt vet shoved back. Refs hit the breaks like they saw Ron Artest walking toward the stands—double techs, monitor review, and boom: Johnson gone.

James Johnson: The NBA’s Real-Life Final Boss

Let’s not pretend this wasn’t on-brand. James Johnson has spent 15 years being the guy no one wants smoke with. A second-degree black belt in karate? Check. A rumored 20-0 kickboxing record? Check. MMA experience? Sure, why not—he basically came into the league with a “Don’t Try Me” label stitched into his warmups.

Every year in The Athletic’s anonymous player poll, Johnson is voted as the guy players would least want to fight. And this year? He ran away with it again. “It’s respect,” Johnson told the outlet. “I’m honored. But hey, I could be making all this up and can’t fight a lick.”

Even his teammates joke that his value isn’t points or rebounds—it’s protection. He’s been nicknamed Tyrese Haliburton’s “bodyguard” and called “the paid peacekeeper” of Indiana. Some fans say he’s getting “bodyguard money,” and honestly, they’re not wrong. $3.3 million a year to keep the locker room tight, the bench in line, and the other team nervous? That’s ROI you can’t track on a box score.

So when Dillon Jones got a little too aggressive with the box-out, Johnson reminded everyone exactly why he’s on the roster. Sure, it ended in an ejection, but his message landed harder than a Shaq screen in 2002.

You don’t bring James Johnson into the Finals and expect tea and biscuits. You bring him to send a message. And while his time in Game 6 lasted just two minutes and a single shot attempt, the ripple effects were massive.

He exited with zero points, zero rebounds, and one very loud ejection. But for Pacers fans, it was another reason to love him. The crowd gave him cheers on the way in and a standing ovation on the way out—because they know exactly what he represents: backbone, toughness, and a little bit of throwback 90s edge.

Game 6 may not go down in the stat books as “The James Johnson Game,” but it will live forever in the minds of those who know his value isn’t measured by field goal percentage. With the series heading to a dramatic Game 7—the first Finals finale since 2016—Johnson’s brief appearance was a reminder that heart, presence, and grit still matter.

And if things get chippy on Sunday? Don’t be surprised if No. 16 is standing just off camera, arms crossed, keeping peace in the most intimidating way possible.