Kevin Johnson (basketball player)

Kevin Johnson
55th Mayor of Sacramento
In office
December 2, 2008 – December 13, 2016
Preceded byHeather Fargo
Succeeded byDarrell Steinberg
72nd President of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office
2014–2015
Preceded byScott Smith
Succeeded byStephanie Rawlings-Blake
Personal details
BornKevin Maurice Johnson
(1966-03-04) March 4, 1966
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 2011)
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley (BA)
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolSacramento
(Sacramento, California)
CollegeCalifornia (1983–1987)
NBA draft1987: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Drafted byCleveland Cavaliers
Playing career1987–1998, 2000
PositionPoint guard
Number11, 7
Career history
1987–1988Cleveland Cavaliers
19881998; 2000Phoenix Suns
Career highlights
Career NBA statistics
Points13,127 (17.9 ppg)
Assists6,711 (9.1 apg)
Steals1,082 (1.5 spg)
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA World Championship
1994 Canada Team competition

Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966), also known by his initials KJ, is an American former professional basketball player and politician who served as the 55th mayor of Sacramento, California, from 2008 to 2016. Before entering politics, he played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), primarily with the Phoenix Suns.

Johnson played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was named a two-time All-Pac-10 Conference player and an honorable-mention All-American by the Associated Press. A point guard, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft as the seventh overall pick. Before the end of his first season, Johnson was traded to Phoenix, where he spent the remainder of his NBA career. Among other accolades, Johnson was a three-time NBA All-Star and a four-time second team All-NBA selection along with holding numerous records for the Phoenix Suns organization. Johnson initially retired from the NBA following the 1997–98 season, but returned in 2000 to play 30 games for the Suns during their playoff run before retiring again. The Suns retired his number 7 on March 7, 2001.

Following his initial retirement, Johnson earned a B.A. in political science from U.C. Berkeley. A member of the Democratic Party, he founded St. HOPE in 1989 and has been active in education reform. He was elected mayor of Sacramento in 2008 and reelected in 2012, becoming the first African American to serve as mayor of Sacramento. As mayor, Johnson launched two education initiatives: Stand UP and Sacramento READS!, to benefit students in Sacramento. Johnson also helped to deter the Sacramento Kings basketball team from moving to Anaheim, and, later, to Seattle, Washington.