From Memphis to Oklahoma City to the Final Four and back, Cam Johnson ready for a busy weekend

Cam Johnson is contractually obligated to be in Memphis on Friday night and Oklahoma City on Sunday as a member of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. He plans to add a third destination Saturday.

Thanks in part to a contact his father, Gil, made while playing basketball at Pitt in the 1980s, Cam has plans to take a private plane to New Orleans to watch his brother, Puff, play for North Carolina against Duke in a Final Four semifinal game at Caesars Superdome.

Check out this weekend itinerary for Johnson, the former Our Lady of the Sacred Heart star, who played at Pitt for three seasons before becoming an All-ACC forward at North Carolina:

• Johnson is expected to play Friday in Memphis in his first game after missing nearly a month with a quad injury. He’s been out since suffering the injury March 4 while scoring 38 points — including a game-winning, buzzer-beater — against the New York Knicks.

• After the game, he will accompany the Suns, who own the NBA’s best record at 62-14, to Oklahoma City.

• There, he’ll board a private plane bound for New Orleans.

After the game, Johnson will return to Oklahoma City where the Suns are scheduled to play the Thunder.

What if the Tar Heels win Saturday and advance to the national championship game Monday night?

Gil said his son may return to New Orleans, but he’ll be back in Phoenix for the Los Angeles Lakers game Tuesday night. There will be no time to catch his breath, however. The Suns visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and Utah Jazz next Friday.

Gil arranged the plane for his son through former Pitt teammate Pat Cavanaugh. He declined to say how much it will cost, but it promises to be a hectic and memorable weekend for all the Johnsons.

Cam Johnson never played in the Final Four at North Carolina. But how could he miss his younger brother’s big night?

“This doesn’t come along all the time,” Gil Johnson said.

While he was injured and unable to play last month, Johnson, who is averaging 12.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, traveled with the Suns on their road trips. Gil said Johnson’s busy weekend has the blessing of Suns management.

“They said you have to go,” he said.

If Puff Johnson and the Tar Heels win a championship, it might not be the last one this year for the Johnson family. The Suns, who lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in last season’s NBA Final, are favored to win it all this year.

Sometimes, Gil steps back and marvels at his family’s good fortune.

“I’m blessed,” he said.