Thursday, 5/8/97 Saying farewell to a genuine role model
Johnson’s retirement deprives NBA of solid, generous player
In all the hubbub about whether Michael Jordan will retire when,
whoops, I mean, if he wins the NBA championship, I think we’ve lost
an extraordinary guard already. Kevin Johnson lost much of his
career to injury, but the moments we have of him will last for
years. For 10 seasons, KJ was one of the best point guards in the
history of the NBA. I know a lot of you might disagree with that,
but just take a look at the numbers. KJ scored nearly 18.8 points
and 9.5 assists for his career and chipped in with 4 rebounds and
1.7 steals a game. Then in the playoffs, the man stepped up. He
only missed one playoff game in his career, and in the playoffs he
has averaged 22.4 points and 9.8 assists. Not bad for a guy who
never really got the respect he deserved. Sure he was an All-Star
four times in his career, but consider that KJ played in the shadow
of Magic, Stockton and Isiah. Two of those guys combined for six
championships and all three were on the 50 greatest players list.
KJ was, and has been, the odd man out. But in an age where our
athletes are so far from perfect that it’s almost heart-breaking,
KJ stood out as a genuine good guy. We expect certain things from
our athletes today – money over loyalty, cheating on their wives
and petulant behavior. We never saw any of that from KJ. KJ could
have left Phoenix a long time ago. He could have signed with the
Bulls or the Knicks five years ago. Both teams were after him. They
got the same response – No amount of money was going to take him
from Phoenix. KJ was too much in love with the Suns franchise that
saved him from being Mark Price’s perpetual back-up. Money didn’t
matter, respect did. Championships didn’t matter all that much
either. Faced with the prospect of playing in a back-court with
Michael Jordan a little while before Sir Charles arrived in
Phoenix, KJ showed no interest in picking his family up and moving
to Chicago. He cared about his family more than most athletes
today. By all accounts, KJ has never cheated on his wife. That’s
more than you can say for guys like Sir Charles who are regularly
asked, "That’s not your wife is it?" And what about his mother, who
has been a staple at Suns’ games since her boy played at the Mad
House on McDowell and then the Purple Palace? Phoenix fans cheered
when the Suns beat the Sonics in 1993 to advance to the NBA finals.
They cheered Sir Charles for his 44 points. They cheered KJ for his
28 points and 12 assists. But they also gave KJ’s mom a standing
ovation. How often do you see that? KJ looked at Phoenix not as a
place where he played a game, but a place where he lived and was a
part of. It was his community. He set an example for his teammates.
Even Sir Charles, who was never a role model, donated some of his
time to charity at KJ’s request. To this day, the Suns’ players do
more community service than any other NBA franchise. That was KJ’s
influence. The little guy who sacrificed life and limb on every
other play driving to the basket against guys twice his size has
retired. And unlike some other point guards, he’s not just doing it
for attention. He means it. It’s not that I want KJ to retire; it
broke my heart to watch his mother cry at the America West Arena
after Game 4 against the Sonics and to see him cover his head with
a towel after being taken out of the lopsided contest in Seattle
that eliminated Phoenix and ended his career. He’s got at least
three productive years left in him, but KJ’s never lied, never
hogged the spotlight, never said anything he didn’t stand behind.
We have no reason to doubt him. So we’ll close the book on KJ’s
career. It’ll be debatable whether he should go to the Hall of
Fame. Whether he does or not, we’ve lost not just a great point
guard, but a model athlete. Toussi is a Daily Bruin sports writer
and columnist. He can be reached by e-mail at
[email protected]. Sam Toussi