Dakari Johnson is proudly from Brooklyn, NY. He first attended St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and then followed his coach Kevin Boyle to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida where they won a national championship his senior season.

Following high school, Johnson attended the University of Kentucky where he played for Coach John Calipari. After two years at UK, Johnson declared for the NBA draft. On June 25, 2015, Johnson was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 48th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. Johnson was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue in November 2015, and played with the Blue until the 2016-2017 season. On July 22, 2017, Johnson signed a two-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dakari Johnson is currently playing in the CBA in Qingdao, China for the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles.