50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame
By Phil Watson
Copyright 1990 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers already had a point guard in Mark Price when they selected California’s Kevin Johnson with the seventh overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft.
And Johnson didn’t stay in Cleveland long. In February 1988, the rookie was traded along with Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, first- and second-round picks in 1988 and a 1989 second-rounder to the Phoenix Suns for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a first-rounder in 1988.
Johnson took over as the starter in Phoenix almost immediately and then burst onto the scene the following year, earning Most Improved Player and All-NBA honors.
With the Suns, Johnson was a five-time All-NBA pick and helped Phoenix to the 1993 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Chicago Bulls.
But injuries plagued K.J. in the second half of his career and he announced his retirement in October 1999.
But in March 2000, Johnson made a brief comeback with the Suns, appearing in six games in the regular season and nine postseason contests before retiring for good in August 2000.
In 12 seasons, Johnson averaged 17.9 points, 9.1 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 34.1 minutes per game, shooting .493/.305/.841.
Johnson ranks seventh all-time in assists per game and is 24th on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 6,711.