The Cal 100: No. 14 -- Kevin Johnson
We count down the top 100 individuals associated with Cal athletics, based on their impact in sports or in the world at large – a wide-open category. See if you agree.
No. 14: Kevin Johnson
Cal Sports Connection: Johnson was a two-time All-Pac-12 point guard for Cal and helped the Bears snap a 52-game losing streak to rival UCLA.
Claim to Fame: He was a three-time All-Star for the Phoenix Suns then a two-term mayor in his hometown of Sacramento.
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There is a generation of Cal basketball fans who treasure what Kevin Johnson and his teammates delivered them on Jan. 25, 1986 at old Harmon Gym.
The Bears had lost 52 consecutive games to UCLA — often to a Bruins team that won the NCAA championship — but first-year coach Lou Campanelli promised to end the streak, and his players believed they would do it.
“We felt it was an opportunity. We felt it was the time,” Johnson said in a 2007 interview. “Not until we had that UCLA victory did we really put Cal basketball back on the map.”
Kevin Johnson celebrates with Eddie Javius after Cal's win over UCLA.
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Johnson contributed 14 points and four assists and the Bears ended the streak with a 75-67 triumph that left Old Blues deliriously happy.
“Even in my (NBA) career, there’s only a couple games people center on, and that’s one of them,” Johnson said. “I’d be in Chicago or New York, and Cal fans would come up to me and say, ‘Thank you so much for getting rid of that burden of UCLA.’ ”
KJ, as he is known, has a long list go accomplishments that add up to him being ranked No. 14 in The Cal 100 — he was a three-time all-star during a 13-year NBA career, then was a two-term mayor of Sacramento.
But the UCLA game is what matters most to so many Cal fans. That win was part of a 19-10 record during Johnson’s junior season, capped by a trip to the NIT — the Bears’ first postseason bid since 1960. A year later they won 20 games and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Johnson was an All-Pac-10 first-team selection both seasons, averaging 17.2 points and 5.0 assists his senior year. He finished his college career with 1,655 points and 521 assists, both school records that since have been broken.
Kevin Johnson turns the corner on a defender.
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Johnson also recorded the first triple-double in conference history, posting 22 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Arizona.
He briefly played for Cal’s baseball team and was chosen as a shortstop by the Oakland A’s in the 23rd round of the 1986 MLB draft. But his future was on the basketball floor.
At 6-foot-1, Johnson was equipped with elite speed and quickness, and athleticism got him selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 7 pick of the 1987 NBA draft.
The Cavaliers dealt Johnson to the Phoenix Suns halfway through his rookie season, then watched him develop into a star.
KJ averaged 17.9 points and 9.1 assists over his 13 pro seasons, with career-high performances of 44 points and 25 assists. He was voted the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 1988-89 after boosting his scoring average from 9.2 points as a rookie to 20.4 to go with 12.2 assists per game.
He put together five seasons scoring at least 20 points per game and four times was named to the All-NBA second team.
The 1992-93 Suns, also featuring Charles Barkley, advanced to the NBA Finals before losing 4 games to 2 to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Johnson scored 25 points in each of the two Phoenix victories. One of those games went to three overtimes, and Johnson played a Finals record 62 of a possible 63 minutes.
KJ dunks over Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1994 NBA playoffs..
USA Today
A year later, against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, Johnson delivered a memorable dunk over 7-foot center Hakeem Olajuwon, the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. KJ had 38 points and had 12 assists in the game but the Rockets prevailed.
In the summer of 1994, Johnson played for the U.S. national team — nicknamed “Dream Team II” — leading the tournament in assists while helping the Americans win the FIBA World Championship.
For two seasons late in his career, Johnson shared time in the Phoenix backcourt with fellow ex-Cal star Jason Kidd and a third Bay Area college product, Santa Clara’s Steve Nash.
Johnson retired in 1999-2000, and returned to his hometown of Sacramento where he put his Cal political science degree to use. In fact, back in ’89 Johnson founded St. HOPE, a non-profit after-school program for at-risk kids in his old neighborhood whose goal is to "revitalize communities through public education, civic leadership, economic development, and the arts."
The program has continued — and expanded to New York — and Johnson served as CEO of St. HOPE until January 2008. Two months later he announced he was running for mayor in Sacramento. He won after a runoff vote to become the city’s first African American mayor.
During his first term, Johnson championed programs that focused on volunteerism, local art, homelessness, student achievement, green projects and gang prevention. He easily won a second term and was widely recognized for his efforts, including as the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner.
In 2013, he brokered a deal he worked toward for three years to keep the NBA's Kings from moving to Seattle, including a commitment to construct a new downtown arena in Sacramento.
Kevin Johnson
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Johnson, who twice was accused of alleged inappropriate behavior involving teen-aged girls; no charges were filed in either instance.
St. HOPE also was embroiled in a controversy resolved in 2009 after allegations the organization did not appropriately spend AmeriCorps Grants. In a settlement, St. HOPE agreed to repay more than $423,000 but both St. HOPE and Johnson (mayor at the time) had suspensions lifted, allowing them to receive federal funds.
Since leaving political office, Johnson, now 57, has been involved in business ventures, including ownership of a small chain of soul food restaurants named Fixins Soul Kitchen.
Cal has retired Johnson’s No. 11 jersey and the Suns did the same to the No. 7 he wore in Phoenix, also placing him in their Ring of Honor. He also was inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame.
Cover photo of Kevin Johnson, right, with Suns teammates Cedric Ceballos and Charles Barkley by USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
