On this date in 2001 the Phoenix Suns raised Kevin Johnson’s #7 jersey into the rafters of America West Arena adding him to the Suns’ “Ring of Honor.” Rarely does a player stick with one team his entire career and KJ nearly did it. But whereas most players leave teams as they age he played all but his first half-season with the Suns. He was part of Cleveland before being traded over to the Suns and never left. He even retired from basketball after the 1998 season but returned for a bit to help Phoenix when Jason Kidd went out with a broken ankle.
Through his career there were plenty of highlights from crazy dunks (sorry Hakeem), smooth passing and sweet kicks on his feet. He was loyal to the Suns during his career but he wasn’t as set on what he wore on his feet. He is most known for his time in Converse and in particular the Run ‘N Slams. But he also was with FILA, who recently retroed the KJ7, and initially started out with the Swoosh.
He never was able to get a ring, the closest was when he and Charles Barkley met Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals. But KJ was one of the best point guards during the 90’s, forever a part of Suns history. A cool note was the retirement game was against the Sacramento Kings whom KJ helped keep in town and where he is also the current mayor.
Aaron Nojima
Mike Guillory
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