Kevin Johnson

Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player and Democratic Party politician who served as the 55th mayor of Sacramento, California from 2008 to 2016. Elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, Johnson is the first African American to serve as mayor of Sacramento. Before entering politics, Johnson was a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

After a stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers during a portion of his rookie year, the point guard played as a member of the Phoenix Suns for the remainder of his NBA career.

During his 12-year playing career, Johnson was a three-time NBA All-Star as well as four-time second team All-NBA selection and held numerous records for the Phoenix Suns organization. At the University of California, Berkeley, Johnson was named a two-time All-Pac-10 Conference player and an honorable-mention All-American by the Associated Press.Johnson holds a B.A. in political science from U.C. Berkeley that he completed after his initial retirement from the NBA. Since founding St. HOPE in 1989, Johnson has been active in education reform. As Mayor of Sacramento, 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.