Biography Kevin Johnson
Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966 in Sacramento, California) is a retired American basketball point guard who played for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns.
After initially sitting on the bench in Cleveland due to the sudden emergence of teammate Mark Price , on February 28, 1988, Johnson (along with teammates Mark West and Tyrone Corbin) was traded to the Suns in exchange for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a future draft pick. Phoenix also received a draft pick in the trade that was used the next season to select Suns' stalwart Dan Majerle. Adjusting rapidly to the change of scenery and much-increased playing time accorded him by freewheeling coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, Johnson excelled, and was named NBA Rookie of the Month in April 1988. That next year, his first full season with Phoenix, KJ averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 assists to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. It was also the first of three seasons in which he averaged better than 20 points and 10 assists, joining Magic Johnson as the only players in league history to accomplish that feat. From 1989 to 1991 he was selected to the All-NBA Second Team and earned Third Team honors in 1994. KJ also was selected to the NBA All-Star Team in 1990, 1991 and 1994 and made the playoffs every year of his career after his rookie season.
The 1992-93 Suns, led by Johnson (despite having missed 31 regular season games due to injury and two after being suspended because of a brawl in a game vs. the New York Knicks) and Charles Barkley, posted an NBA-best 62-20 record. Narrowly escaping first round elimination versus the Los Angeles Lakers, the Barkley-led Suns managed to make it to the NBA Finals, where they eventually fell to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games en route to the Bulls' third consecutive title. KJ, despite having only played in 49 regular season games that year, averaged 17.8 points and 7.9 assists in the playoffs and established an NBA record for Finals minutes played by logging 62 minutes in a single game vs the Bulls. That next season, The the injury-prone KJ was again slowed by injuries but returned to his spectacular form for the postseason, averaging 24.8 points in 10 games, including a 46-point effort in Game 7 loss of the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual-champion Houston Rockets. In that game, in front of a capacity crowd in Phoenix, Johnson completed a spectacular dunk over Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon, driving the baseline and rising above the 7'0" center to throw it down with authority. The shot became an oft-played highlight for that playoff series and for the ages.
In addition to his NBA efforts with the Suns, Johnson also lent his talents to the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, reuniting with old teammate and rival Mark Price to win the gold medal. 1994 USA Basketball
Johnson retired after the 1997-98 season, but returned briefly during the 1999-2000 campaign to spell the injured Jason Kidd during the playoff run. Johnson helped the Suns win their first playoff series in five years (and their only series victory between 1995 and 2005). But after Phoenix fell in the second round to Los Angeles, he retired for the second and final time. After his second retirement, Johnson spent one season (2000-01) as a studio commentator for The NBA on NBC.
1966 birthsAfrican American sportspeopleAmerican basketball playersUnited States men's national basketball team membersCalifornia Golden Bears men's basketball playersCleveland Cavaliers playersLiving peopleNational Basketball Association broadcastersPeople from Sacramento, CaliforniaPhoenix Suns playersPoint guardsUniversity of California, Berkeley alumni
Kevin JohnsonKevin Johnson?????????Kevin Johnson
Basketball career
Johnson attended Sacramento High School where he starred in both basketball and baseball all four years, leading the state in scoring as a senior (32.5 ppg). He chose to play basketball exclusively on the college level and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he starred for four seasons, leaving there as the school's all-time leader in assists, steals, and scoring (since eclipsed by Lamond Murray. He was also the first player in the Pac-10 Conference to post a triple-double and earned first team all-conference honors in both his junior and senior seasons, where he averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 assists in his final campaign. His number 11 is retired. Originally drafted in 1986 to play professional baseball with the Oakland Athletics as a shortstop, Johnson spent his collegiate summers with the A's' minor-league team in Modesto, but after being advised by a scout that his future was in basketball, Johnson never looked back, and was the seventh selection overall by the Cavaliers for the 1987-88 season in the 1987 NBA Draft.After initially sitting on the bench in Cleveland due to the sudden emergence of teammate Mark Price , on February 28, 1988, Johnson (along with teammates Mark West and Tyrone Corbin) was traded to the Suns in exchange for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a future draft pick. Phoenix also received a draft pick in the trade that was used the next season to select Suns' stalwart Dan Majerle. Adjusting rapidly to the change of scenery and much-increased playing time accorded him by freewheeling coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, Johnson excelled, and was named NBA Rookie of the Month in April 1988. That next year, his first full season with Phoenix, KJ averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 assists to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. It was also the first of three seasons in which he averaged better than 20 points and 10 assists, joining Magic Johnson as the only players in league history to accomplish that feat. From 1989 to 1991 he was selected to the All-NBA Second Team and earned Third Team honors in 1994. KJ also was selected to the NBA All-Star Team in 1990, 1991 and 1994 and made the playoffs every year of his career after his rookie season.
The 1992-93 Suns, led by Johnson (despite having missed 31 regular season games due to injury and two after being suspended because of a brawl in a game vs. the New York Knicks) and Charles Barkley, posted an NBA-best 62-20 record. Narrowly escaping first round elimination versus the Los Angeles Lakers, the Barkley-led Suns managed to make it to the NBA Finals, where they eventually fell to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls in six games en route to the Bulls' third consecutive title. KJ, despite having only played in 49 regular season games that year, averaged 17.8 points and 7.9 assists in the playoffs and established an NBA record for Finals minutes played by logging 62 minutes in a single game vs the Bulls. That next season, The the injury-prone KJ was again slowed by injuries but returned to his spectacular form for the postseason, averaging 24.8 points in 10 games, including a 46-point effort in Game 7 loss of the Western Conference Semifinals to the eventual-champion Houston Rockets. In that game, in front of a capacity crowd in Phoenix, Johnson completed a spectacular dunk over Rockets' Hakeem Olajuwon, driving the baseline and rising above the 7'0" center to throw it down with authority. The shot became an oft-played highlight for that playoff series and for the ages.
In addition to his NBA efforts with the Suns, Johnson also lent his talents to the US national team in the 1994 FIBA World Championship, reuniting with old teammate and rival Mark Price to win the gold medal. 1994 USA Basketball
Johnson retired after the 1997-98 season, but returned briefly during the 1999-2000 campaign to spell the injured Jason Kidd during the playoff run. Johnson helped the Suns win their first playoff series in five years (and their only series victory between 1995 and 2005). But after Phoenix fell in the second round to Los Angeles, he retired for the second and final time. After his second retirement, Johnson spent one season (2000-01) as a studio commentator for The NBA on NBC.
Philanthropy
In Phoenix, as president and CEO of The Kevin Johnson Corporation, Johnson oversees the operations of several subsidiary organizations specializing in real estate development and management, sports management, and business acquisition. A key component of The Kevin Johnson Corporation includes appearances and public speaking engagements for corporations, academic institutions, and community organizations. During the 2006/07 school year, Kevin Johnson worked as a teacher. He served as the Principal for the School of Law & Public Service at Sacramento High School. Leadership was the curriculum.Accomplishments
- Johnson is one of only four players in NBA history to have averaged at least 20.0 points and 10.0 assists per game in three different seasons.
- Johnson is one of four players to have averaged at least 15.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.
- Johnson is one of only two players (the other is Magic Johnson) to have averaged at least 20.0 points and 10.0 assists per game over the course of a season while shooting at least .500 from the field.
- On March 7, 2001, the Suns inducted Johnson into their Ring of Honor and retired his uniform number seven during halftime of a game Phoenix played against the Sacramento Kings, Johnson's hometown team.
- NBA record holder for minutes in a finals game, playing 62 minutes in 1993 vs. the Chicago Bulls.
- Three time NBA All-Star.
- Phoenix Suns all time leader in free throws made, free throws attempted, and in assists.
Education
- High school diploma, Sacramento High School, Sacramento, California, 1984
- BA Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, 1987 (received diploma 1998)
- Johnson is a 2000 graduate of the Harvard Divinity School Summer Leadership Institute, a program that prepares students for work in faith-based urban economic revitalization.
Trivia
- Though he only stands 6'1", KJ often would dunk the ball, including dunks on Hakeem Olajuwon, Mark Eaton, and John "Hot Rod" Williams.
- Johnson has appeared in the video games NBA All Star Challenge 2, NBA Jam, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NBA Hangtime, NBA Jam Extreme, NBA Live (multiple years) and in NBA Jam as a 1990s All-Star.
References
External links
1966 birthsAfrican American sportspeopleAmerican basketball playersUnited States men's national basketball team membersCalifornia Golden Bears men's basketball playersCleveland Cavaliers playersLiving peopleNational Basketball Association broadcastersPeople from Sacramento, CaliforniaPhoenix Suns playersPoint guardsUniversity of California, Berkeley alumni
Kevin JohnsonKevin Johnson?????????Kevin Johnson
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin Johnson
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Links
http://www.sonorika.com/kevinjohnson/biographyhttp://www.bioandlyrics.com/kevinjohnson
