About Kevin Johnson
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 several 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.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.