HIStory
The man behind Christletes
Meet the owner DERRICK JOHNSON
Hey guys! My name is Derrick Johnson and I was born and raised 40 minutes outside of Chicago in Aurora, Illinois. At the early age of 3 I fell in love with the game of basketball. From the little tykes rim, to the driveway, to ymca leagues, and travel ball I was always involved with the game. It didn’t take long before the people around me realized I was a special player. I quickly began playing against older competition which helped my game advance even faster. I was a 3 year varsity starter and received multiple D1 offers before unfortunate circumstances caused me to land in Junior college.
The Storm
After a medical red shirt season and playing the following year I had my eyes set overseas. I had interest from teams in multiple countries including Europe, Italy, Australia, and France. My dream to play professionally was so close I could taste it. Then, I was hit with yet another unfortunate circumstance. I was in a roll over car accident caused by a drunk driver and suffered a pretty severe back injury. During my rehab process I became very depressed because basketball had been my everything. I knew I was good enough to make a living from it but unfortunately that dream was now in the rearview. I was ready to forget about basketball all together until God spoke to me one day.
Gods Plan
God told me that I was being selfish by giving up on the game just because my playing career was over. He told me that he didn’t bless me with all my talent and knowledge for me to not spread it to the next generation. It was then that I realized I had to become a coach/trainer. For years I coached different club and AAU teams as well as trained many different players. For me it was just a hobby until God spoke to me again and told me this was going to be my career. Over the last few years I have really been focused on building my training business. I spend hours each day studying and practicing the game of basketball in order to become the best trainer possible. My goal is to help kids become stand up citizens as well as gain opportunities to earn free college scholarships through basketball. Everything I went through in life is all part of the plan God had for me. I am blessed and eager for him to use me to impact the lives of millions. I would love for you to be a part of my journey. God bless you all!
