Kevin Johnson

At 58 years old, Kevin Johnson has this physical status:

Basketball career

Johnson was awarded a scholarship to play basketball for the University of California, Berkeley. Johnson, a four-year starter, ended his college career in 1987 as the school's all-time leader in assists (since Jason Kidd was eclipsed), robs, and scoring (since eclipsed by Lamond Murray, Sean Lampley, Patrick Christopher, Joe Shipp, and Jerome Randle). In his junior and senior seasons, Johnson was selected to the Pac-10's All-Conference First Team, averaging 17.2 points and 5 assists. He coached Cal to his first post-season appearances in 26 seasons with NIT bids in 1986 and 1987, and was the first Pac-10 Conference player to post a triple-double. Johnson was the first Golden Bear to wear his jersey in 1992 (No. 2). 11) Former students.

In the 23rd round of the 1986 MLB draft, Johnson briefly played for Cal's baseball team and the Oakland Athletics drafted him as a shortstop. Johnson, who appeared with Oakland's minor-league team in Modesto, California, during the summer of 1986, has cut his baseball career, finding the transition to professional baseball more difficult and difficult than basketball.

Following Johnson's senior season of college basketball, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him as the seventh pick in the 1987 NBA draft. Johnson was originally drafted by Cleveland to face incumbent point guard Mark Price for the starting position, but Johnson found himself playing short minutes as Price's backup during the 1988 NBA season.

Johnson, Mark West, Tyrone Corbin, and a future draft pick were traded to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Larry Nance, Mike Sanders, and a future draft pick. Johnson thrived, with an 86 percent free throw percentage, 10.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds, adapting quickly to the change of scenery and much-increased playing time, and the league named him NBA Rookie of the Month for April 1988.

Johnson made his debut with Phoenix, scoring 20.4 points, 12.2 assists, a 52% field goal percentage, and an 82% free-throw percentage. Johnson, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas were the only players in NBA history to score at least 20 points and 12 assists in a season. He was named NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1988-89 for his rapid rise. Johnson's 1988–89 campaign was the first in three seasons in which he scored at least 20 points and 10 assists, with Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the first players in league history to do so. It also marked the beginning of a new one for the previously moribund Suns' franchise. In K.J., the lion has been killed. The Suns won the most regular season games in the NBA (394, an average of 56 and never fewer than 53), making them the only team to win at least 50 games per year (46), second only to the Chicago Bulls.

In 1990, 1991, and 1994, Johnson was one of the NBA All-Star Team. Johnson wore number 41 rather than his familiar number 7 in Charlotte's 1991 All-Star Game. Bob Costas and Mike Fratello of NBC speculated that the call represented K.J. It's a smutty way to respect teammate Mark West, the Suns' stoic, largely unrecognized center that did the dirty work on the glass and in the paint.

Johnson was in the Western Conference backcourt with Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. The Sporting News asked whether K.J. was a fan of the game in anticipation of the game. Magic may have surpassed Magic as the best player on the court. Johnson led the Suns past Magic's best-win Los Angeles Lakers' season-best, 63-wins. As the Suns defeated both Game Four and Game Five with K.J. Johnson finished the series by averaging 33.5 points and a dozen assists over the past two games. In the fourth quarter of both contests, Magic Johnson was notably outplayed by vastly outplaying him. Johnson's clutch appearances prompted Hall of Fame center and NBC commentator Bill Walton to say later, "Kevin Johnson... really came to the top of this league in the 1990 playoffs when he waxed Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the early rounds." In 1990, Kevin Johnson and the Suns took care of business, going one to one over the Lakers,... Kevin Johnson was outplaying Magic." Phoenix defeated John Stockton's Jazz (55 wins) and Magic Johnson's Lakers (63 wins) in the same postseason, thanks to Johnson's appearance during the 1990 playoffs.

After his rookie season, Johnson made the playoffs every year of his career, putting an end to the Phoenix Suns' perennially losing fortunes. The 1992–93 Suns, led by Johnson and Charles Barkley, posted an NBA-best 62–20 record and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls by two games. In Game 3 (a 129–121 triple-OT victory) vs. the Bulls, Johnson scored 17.8 points and 7.9 assists in the playoffs and set a new NBA record for Finals minutes played by logging 62 minutes.

However, Johnson did not miss his first regular season game with Charles Barkley in October 1992 when he attempted to lift heavy-set rookie teammate Oliver Miller off the ground during warmups prior to a preseason match. Johnson had experienced his second undiagnosed sports hernia by the time of the 1995-96 season. Johnson played 109 regular season games with Barkley from 1992–93 to 1996 (although he only missed one playoff game in his entire career) primarily due to the groin, hamstring, quadriceps, and other muscle strains resulting from these undiagnosed hernias. The Suns' doctors finally diagnosed the second hernia after intense off-season workouts during the 1996 season. Then, the Phoenix doctors discovered the second, "hidden" hernia that had existed for four years after surgery to reconstruct the sports hernia.

Despite the undiagnosed hernia problems, K.J. has been struggling with hernia problems. In the offseason, the postseason has flourished.

In 1994, he averaged 26.6 points and 9.6 assists in the postseason, scoring 38 points three times in ten games and averaging 11.0 assists in those three tournaments.

Johnson returned to form in 1995, following an injury-riddled regular season. In ten games, including 43 points (18–24 FG), he averaged 24.8 points on 57.3% shooting from the field and 9.3 assists, with nine assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and just 1 turnover in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals at Houston. He had ten assists against just 1 turnover in Game Seven, including 44 points (18–24 FT). K.J. appeared on the programme as a guest star. More three-pointers (54) than he'd seen in the entire 1994-1995–95 regular season (4).

In game four of the previous year's series with Houston, Johnson made a dramatic play, driving the baseline and dunking over Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon. The shot was an oft-played highlight for the ages, and it was the point guard's second straight 38-point, 12-assist effort.

Johnson competed for the gold medal in 1994 with the United States national team, also known as Dream Team II. Johnson led Dream Team II in total assists (31) and assists per game (3.9), while shooting 47.1% (16–32) on two-point field goal attempts. "I really like having KJ on the courthouse," Don Nelson, the US head coach, wrote. The thing that stood out was how he sacrificed his scoring to be a ball carrier and help his team win. We didn't need his offense on this team, but we didn't need him. We did need his protection, penetration, and assistance. "He gave us all three of them."

Johnson retired in 1998-98 but returned to his former coach and mentor Cotton Fitzsimmons during the 1999-2000 season to replace him during the playoff run. Johnson helped the Suns win their first playoff series in five years. He retired for the second and final time after Phoenix crashed in the second round to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Johnson was No. 1 in 2001, and he was the No. 1 in the United States. The Suns had 7 children and he had been inducted into their Ring of Honor.

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