Kevin Johnson (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kevin Johnson
55th Mayor of Sacramento
In office December 2, 2008 – December 13, 2016
Preceded by	Heather Fargo
Succeeded by	Darrell Steinberg
72nd President of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office 2014–2015
Preceded by	Scott Smith
Succeeded by	Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Personal details
Born	Kevin Maurice Johnson (1966-03-04) March 4, 1966 (age 59) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michelle Rhee ​ (m. 2011)​
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Kevin Johnson (basketball) Personal information High school Sacramento (Sacramento, California) Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg) Career information College California (1983–1987) NBA Draft 1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers Pro career 1987–1998, 2000 Career history 1987–1988 Cleveland Cavaliers 1988–1998; 2000 Phoenix Suns Career highlights and awards 3× NBA All-Star (1990, 1991, 1994) 4× All-NBA Second Team (1989–1991, 1994) All-NBA Third Team (1992) NBA Most Improved Player (1989) No. 7 retired by Phoenix Suns 2× First-team All-Pac-10 (1986, 1987) No. 11 retired by California Golden Bears Career NBA statistics Points 13,127 (17.9 ppg) Assists 6,711 (9.1 apg) Steals 1,082 (1.5 spg) Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA World Championship Gold 1994 Canada Team competition

Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966) is an American who was a professional basketball player and later became a politician. He served as the 55th Mayor of Sacramento, California, from 2008 to 2016. He was elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012. Johnson was the first African American to serve as mayor of Sacramento. Before entering politics, Johnson was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

After playing briefly for the Cleveland Cavaliers during his first year, Johnson played as a point guard for the Phoenix Suns for the rest of his NBA career.

During his 12 years playing, Johnson was a three-time NBA All-Star. He was also chosen four times for the second team All-NBA selection. He holds many records for the Phoenix Suns team. At the University of California, Berkeley, Johnson was named a two-time All-Pac-10 Conference player. He also received an honorable mention as an All-American by the Associated Press.

Johnson earned a B.A. degree in political science from U.C. Berkeley after he first retired from the NBA. Since starting St. HOPE in 1989, Johnson has been involved in improving education. As Mayor of Sacramento, Johnson started two education programs: Stand UP and Sacramento READS! These programs helped students in Sacramento. Johnson also helped keep the Sacramento Kings basketball team from moving to other cities.

Early Life and Education

Kevin Johnson was born on March 4, 1966, in Sacramento. His father passed away when Kevin was three years old. He was then raised by his grandparents, the Peat family. He went to Sacramento High School, where he was a star in both baseball and basketball. In his final year of high school, Johnson led California in scoring. He was named the Northern California Player of the Year.

Basketball Career Highlights

College Basketball at UC Berkeley

Johnson received a scholarship to play basketball for the University of California, Berkeley. He was a starter for all four years. When he finished college in 1987, he was the school's all-time leader in assists and steals. He was also the all-time leading scorer for a while. Johnson was named to the Pac-10's All-Conference First Team in his junior and senior years. In his last year, he averaged 17.2 points and 5 assists per game. He helped Cal reach the post-season for the first time in 26 years. In 1992, Johnson's jersey number 11 was retired by the Golden Bears.

Johnson also played briefly for Cal's baseball team. The Oakland Athletics drafted him as a shortstop in the 1986 MLB draft. After playing a few games in the minor leagues, Johnson decided to focus on basketball. He felt basketball offered a clearer path to becoming a professional athlete.

Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers

After college, the Cleveland Cavaliers chose Johnson as the seventh pick in the 1987 NBA draft. He was drafted to compete for the starting point guard position. However, he played limited minutes as a backup during the 1987–88 NBA season.

Success with the Phoenix Suns

On February 28, 1988, Johnson was traded to the Phoenix Suns. He quickly adjusted to his new team and got more playing time. Johnson did very well and was named the NBA Rookie of the Month for April 1988. He averaged 15.1 points, 10.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds that month.

In his first full season with Phoenix, Johnson became one of the NBA's top players. He averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 assists per game. With these numbers, Johnson joined Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to average at least 20 points and 12 assists in a season. His quick improvement earned him the NBA's Most Improved Player Award in 1988–89. This season was the first of three straight where Johnson averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Johnson was selected for the NBA All-Star Team in 1990, 1991, and 1994. In the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, Johnson started alongside Magic Johnson. In the 1990 Western Conference Semifinals, Johnson led the Suns past Magic's Los Angeles Lakers. The Suns won the series four games to one.

The 1992–93 Suns, led by Johnson and new teammate Charles Barkley, had the best record in the NBA. They made it to the NBA Finals, but lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. Johnson played 62 minutes in Game 3 of the Finals, setting an NBA record for minutes played in a Finals game.

Johnson faced some injuries during his career, including undiagnosed sports hernias. Despite these issues, he continued to perform well in the playoffs. In 1994, he averaged 26.6 points and 9.6 assists in the postseason. In 1995, he averaged 24.8 points and 9.3 assists in ten playoff games.

A memorable moment happened in a 1994 game against Houston. Johnson drove to the basket and dunked over Rockets' center Hakeem Olajuwon. This play became a famous highlight.

Playing for Team USA

In the summer of 1994, Johnson played with the U.S. national team, also known as Dream Team II. They won the gold medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championship. Johnson led Dream Team II in total assists and assists per game. The U.S. head coach, Don Nelson, praised Johnson for sacrificing his scoring to help his team win.

Retirement and Return to Play

Johnson retired after the 1997–98 season. However, he returned briefly during the 1999–2000 season to help the Suns in the playoffs. He helped them win their first playoff series in five years. After the Suns lost in the second round, he retired for the second and final time.

In 2001, Johnson's No. 7 jersey was retired by the Suns. He was also inducted into their Ring of Honor.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Community Work: St. HOPE

In 1989, while still an NBA player, Johnson started St. HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Excellence). It began as an after-school program for kids in his old neighborhood of Oak Park in Sacramento. St. HOPE grew into a nonprofit organization. It focused on public education, community leadership, economic growth, and the arts. Johnson was the CEO of St. HOPE until January 2008.

The St. HOPE Development Corporation, started in 1994, worked to improve Oak Park. It helped renovate historic buildings, turning them into useful spaces. These included a bank, office spaces, and an art gallery complex.

St. HOPE Public Schools is a system of charter schools for pre-K through 12th grade. It provides education to almost 2,000 students. One school St. HOPE helped was Sacramento High School (Sac High), where Johnson and his family attended. In 2002, Sac High was at risk of closing due to low test scores. In 2003, Johnson raised money and helped reopen Sac High as a charter school. Since St. HOPE's involvement, student performance at Sac High has improved.

St. HOPE also expanded to New York, opening the St. HOPE Leadership Academy Charter School in Harlem in 2008. The decision to expand St. HOPE has been studied at Harvard Business School.

In 2009, St. HOPE Academy agreed to pay a settlement related to how it spent AmeriCorps grants. Johnson personally contributed to the initial payment. This agreement resolved questions about Sacramento's ability to receive federal funds.

Becoming Mayor of Sacramento

Johnson at a mayoral rally in May 2008

On March 5, 2008, Johnson announced he would run for mayor of Sacramento. He challenged the current mayor, Heather Fargo. The election was on June 3, 2008. Since no candidate won more than 50% of the votes, a runoff election was held.

Johnson received support from many groups, including the Sacramento Police Officers Association. He also had endorsements from city council members and a former Sacramento Mayor.

In the first election, Johnson led with 47% of the votes, while Mayor Heather Fargo had 40%. This led to a runoff election in November.

2008 Primary Election Results

Johnson won the runoff election against Heather Fargo.

2008 Runoff Election Results

2012 Mayoral Election

Johnson ran for re-election as Mayor of Sacramento on September 14, 2011. The election was on June 5, 2012. Johnson faced three other candidates. He won with more than 50% of the votes, so no runoff was needed.

Johnson received support from city council members, police and firefighter associations, and political leaders.

2012 Primary Election Results

Johnson won the election with 58.74% of the votes.

Mayor's First Term Initiatives

Mayor Kevin Johnson at the 2010 Sacramento Grand Prix bike race

During his first term as Mayor, Johnson started nine main programs.

• Volunteer Sacramento: This program encouraged public service. Sacramento logged millions of hours of volunteer work. This created a large economic impact for the city.
• For Arts' Sake: This initiative aimed to increase support for local art. Sacramento was chosen to pilot the "Any Given Child" program. This program helps ensure all children in grades K-8 have access to arts education.
• Sacramento Steps Forward: This program worked to end long-term homelessness in Sacramento. Many households were moved into permanent housing.
• STAND UP Education Initiative: This program aimed to improve student achievement in Sacramento schools. It raised millions of dollars for education reform.
• Greenwise Initiative: This program focused on economic development and environmental efforts. Sacramento committed to reducing energy use by 20% by 2020.
• Think Big: This initiative worked on Sacramento's economic growth. It included building a new entertainment and sports complex. It also oversaw the development of the downtown Sacramento Railyards.
• Sacramento READS!: Launched in 2011, this 10-year program aimed to ensure all children could read at their grade level by the end of 3rd grade. It focused on school readiness and attendance.
• City-Schools Collaborative: This program helped city services work better with school districts. The goal was to use resources more effectively for public education.
• Gang Prevention Task Force: This partnership aimed to reduce gang violence. It offered school-based and job-training programs.

Awards and Affiliations

In June 2012, Johnson was elected the second vice president of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). He later became the president in 2014. He was the first Sacramento mayor to hold this position. He also became president of the National Conference of Black Mayors in 2013.

Johnson has served on the boards of many organizations. These include the University of California Alumni Association and Phoenix Suns Charities.

In 1991, former President George H. W. Bush recognized Johnson as a "Point of Light." This was for Johnson's dedication to children and education. Johnson has also received the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. He was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Kevin Johnson married Michelle Rhee on September 3, 2011. Michelle Rhee was the former Chancellor of the District of Columbia School System. They were married at a resort in Tennessee.

See also

In Spanish: Kevin Johnson para niños

• List of NBA franchise career scoring leaders
• List of NBA career assists leaders
• List of NBA career playoff assists leaders
• List of NBA single-game assists leaders
• List of NBA single-game steals leaders
• List of first African-American mayors
• African American mayors in California