Former Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson becomes mayor of Sacramento

Kevin Johnson was a very talented point guard with the Phoenix Suns, but was also something of an anomaly in the NBA.  In a contrast to the free spending, large living reputation of pro basketball players KJ lived modestly and gave a good chunk of his multimillion dollar salary to charities.  He always gave the impression that he saw a “bigger picture” of life beyond basketball.

For that reason, it’s not too surprising that he’s just been elected the first African-American mayor of Sacramento, CA.  He defeated the two term incumbent mayor of his hometown, Heather Fargo.  Johnson didn’t hold back on using his NBA connections to further his election efforts—Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson all gave their public support to KJ’s campaign.

Johnson ran as a Democrat with a more conservative social agenda rooted in his deep religious beliefs.  He also made a big deal of the city’s less than outstanding image and reputation among outsiders, and suggested that Sacramento should be in the same conversation as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco claiming that “we should be a destination place”.  Despite his fame as a basketball player he has also been taken seriously as a politician and won the endorsements of a number of Sacramento elected officials, labor unions and charitable groups.

KJ was quick to link his precedent setting victory as Sacramento’s first black mayor to that of President-elect Barack Obama:

"Sacramento also made history today in electing its first black mayor. Both Obama and myself, we ran on a promise and the theme of change. No more business as usual."

Unlike Obama, however, this is KJ’s first experience with public office.  He has done well in the private sector with real estate development and other business interests.  He’s also become highly sought after for public speaking engagements to corporations, organizations and academic institutions.  KJ finally completed his college education after his retirement from the NBA, earning a BA in political science from the University of California-Berkley.  In 2000, he completed the Harvard Divinity School’s Summer Leadership Institute—a program which prepares students for strategic roles within faith-based urban economic revitalization programs.