From humble beginnings to prominence
He was the stuff of legends, and theirs was a love for the ages. Anthony and Shaunté Johnson
were magic on the basketball courts of their high schools. Despite having suffered an eye injury
as a child that left him with only 50 percent vision in one eye, Anthony’s prowess was undeniable. Shaunté, with matching talent, was offered scholarships at several universities.
She and Anthony met while he was washing dishes at a restaurant, shortly after high school.
They knew they had something special, and two weeks later he offered her a rubber band
engagement ring. They married in 2006.
Shaunté chose to attend Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho, where she played for one year
before she was recruited by what is now Yakima Valley College (YVC) in Washington state. She
wanted to go to YVC, but she and Anthony had agreed they would do all things together. So she told
the school, “not without my husband,” and insisted on a shot for him to play in the men’s division.
Shaunté and Anthony met shortly after high school, and married just weeks later.
YVC gave Anthony a chance to walk on the team, and walk on he did. Two years later he led
that team to a conference title, which drew the attention of several Division 1 schools. Then,
when the University of Montana offered Anthony a spot on their roster, he replied, “not without
my wife,” and the Grizzlies women’s basketball team offered Shaunté a spot as well.
From 2008 to 2010, Shaunté and Anthony tore up the court and made Grizzlies basketball
history in both the women’s and men’s divisions. For her part, Shaunté led the women’s team
in assists and secured them a seat in the NCAA tournament. Anthony scored 42 points in an improbable win against Weber State for the conference title and a spot for his team in the NCAA
tournament. His performance catapulted him into the national limelight, and he was named an
All-American by CollegeInsider.com.
Upon graduation, Anthony and Shaunté signed a contract with the Harlem Globetrotters and
became the first married couple ever to be drafted into professional sports. They later took a
professional contract with the EuroLeague and played basketball in Cypress and Greece.
Anthony then got a chance to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. He signed the contract,
but he unexpectedly lost vision in his good eye. He was cut from the team within a month.
Soon after that, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that claimed his vision and left
him partially deaf. Anthony’s remarkable basketball career came to an abrupt end, and he retired.
Anthony Johnson
A new vision
Shaunté and Anthony took some time to regroup, and within five years, they had a new vision.
Their family had grown to include three small children, Kaine-Carter, Apollo-Kahn, and Blade-Milan, and they returned to Yakima, where they founded an event and consulting ministry.
Through the ministry, they worked to create healing, connection, and community as they met
with individuals, schools, and corporations.
At this point, they began their homeschooling adventure, inspired largely by Shaunté’s
research on the HSLDA website. “I typed in homeschooling, and HSLDA was at the top of the
search list,” she said. “At the beginning, you were my hub of information.”
She and Anthony began homeschooling their oldest in 2019. But they weren’t so sure
about homeschooling their middle son, Apollo-Kahn. He was diagnosed with autism when he
turned 5, and they felt unequipped to address his special needs at home.
So they decided to start him in public school, thinking it would provide specific accommodations
for his special needs. But while creating a kindergarten plan with the public school, she found out
the school wanted to put Apollo-Kahn in his own classroom, rather than accommodate him in a
regular classroom with an aide. She knew that was the wrong choice for her son.
“He was far too advanced for that,” she
said. “He’s highly gifted, but he needed
help with social and verbal skills.” She
and Anthony decided to pull him from the
public school.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, but I had
to trust that God could do it through me,”
she said. “I did it scared, ready to throw up,
but I did it. My soul said, ‘Yes, Lord,’ but my
spirit was vomiting.”
Anthony and their three oldest children, around the time they started their homeschooling journey.
To better help her son, Shaunté went back
to school and got certified through the Autism
Center at the University of Washington. Her
perspective on autism changed as a result of
her training. For Shaunté and her son, autism
equals “awe-sism.”
“It’s awesome autism, a beautiful gift
from the Lord that allows us to create something different that works for him,” she said.
Homeschooling kept the Johnsons busy,
and their work was fulfilling. Shaunté
also worked an online job, so Anthony
sometimes stepped in to homeschool the
children.
They affectionately called him the
substitute teacher, and reading to them with
a very large magnifying glass was part of
his daily norm. They had only ever known their dad as vision and hearing impaired, so they readily accepted the challenges he faced.
Nevertheless, financial needs were growing with the progression of Anthony’s disease. People
who were grateful for their work in the community sent gifts, but as medical bills rose, they
reached out to HSLDA to apply for a Compassion Curriculum Grant. Because of the generous
donors who make these grants possible, HSLDA was able to offer grants enabling them to buy
school supplies and curriculum two years in a row.
‘In a little while’
Shortly after they received the second grant in 2023, the family was celebrating Blade-Milan’s
birthday. Suddenly, Anthony collapsed to the floor. He’d suffered a major stroke and was rushed
to the hospital on life support.
Local papers carried the story of their beloved basketball star whose life hung in the balance.
For weeks, a multitude of friends and fans prayed, hoping for good news. The doctors kept watch
for signs of recovery, but with time slipping away, Shaunté sensed he was already gone. Then
they delivered the devastating news.
Anthony’s stroke had occurred in his brain stem, and they could see indications of five ministrokes over the past two years. He was now in a state of brain death, and Shaunté had to make a
difficult choice: keep Anthony alive in a vegetative state or choose to remove his life support.
She chose to let him go.
Her strong faith in God and in Heaven gave her every reason to believe that Anthony would
be in a better place, with a better body, and a better life after death. In fact, she was sure he was
already there. And it seemed right to her that their time together would close in a full circle of 17
years—from November 1, 2006, to November 1, 2023.
She says she didn’t say goodbye, but, “See you in a little while.”
Though Anthony was gone, he left Shaunté with a precious gift. Five months after his death,
Shaunté gave birth to their little girl, Fenix-Flame, who is the spitting image of her daddy.
Shaunté and her family, including the newest member, Fenix-Flame
Moving forward
The gift of homeschooling has blessed Shaunté through this time. A strong community has
helped her remain confident during grief and transition. And being at home in a safe and quiet
space has been helpful for the children to heal in their own timing.
Embracing creativity helps them work through school days and move forward, whether the
pace is slow or busy. And with a new baby on board they find creative ways to flourish.
We asked Shaunté what her next season would look like for her and the children. “Ease and
the freedom to just be,” she replied.
They have since relocated to a community in Montana,
where their adoptive parents, the Wozniaks, who were
there for Shaunte and Anthony since their college days,
offer daily support and encouragement. In the not too
distant future, she wants to take her kids roadschooling
across the states to introduce them to family and discover some of their own roots.
She plans to create a channel to document their travels so others can follow their studies and
experiences. You can learn more from her Instagram (@Shaunte_NJ).
Also on the horizon is a unique opportunity—working with her alma maters to build a program that focuses on advocacy, leadership, and education for people with neurodivergence. With
her certification in autism, she’s eager to assist in the creation of this new program.
“God is not asking us to stay still and stay status quo,” Shaunté said, ever resilient. “Our faith
is strong and our bond as a family unit is made possible because of homeschooling. And homeschooling is possible because of a supportive community and HSLDA.”
