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Player profile · CLE / PHO
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson stats, teams and career impact
#128 all-timeCareer averages · 17.9 PPG · 3.3 RPG · 9.1 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Final NBA team
- Phoenix Suns
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) · 180 lb (82 kg)
- Born
- March 4, 1966 (60 yrs old)
- College
- California
- NBA seasons
- 12 seasons · 1987–88 to 1999–00
Career summaryKevin Johnson was a point guard who played 12 NBA seasons, from 1987–88 through 1999–00.
- Career PPG
- 17.9
- Career RPG
- 3.3
- Career APG
- 9.1
- #12 in 1990–91
- #128 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Kevin Johnson ranks #128 all time
Kevin Johnson ranks #128 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #14.0. His full-career value ranks #107, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
450+ minutes required per season
735 games · Career Value Rank #107
NBA honors3× All-Star · 5× All-NBA · Most ImprovedContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Kevin Johnson with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Kevin Johnson vs. Mark Price Lead guards of the 1990s
- Kevin Johnson vs. Tim Hardaway Lead guards of the 1990s
- Kevin Johnson vs. Terry Porter Lead guards of the 1990s
- Kevin Johnson vs. Doc Rivers Lead guards of the 1990s
- Kevin Johnson vs. Kemba Walker Similar career path
- Kevin Johnson vs. Walt Frazier Similar career path
- Kevin Johnson vs. Sidney Moncrief Similar career path
- Kevin Johnson vs. Nate McMillan Similar career path
- Kevin Johnson vs. Baron Davis Similar career path
- Kevin Johnson vs. Ron Harper Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 49.3%FG%
- Three-point
- 30.5%3P%
- Free throw
- 84.1%FT%
735 career games · 25,061 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Kevin Johnson stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1999–00 | 6.7 | 2.7 | 4.0 | -4.24 | PHO | 6 | 0 | 18.8 | 57.1% | 100.0% | 100.0% | — | -4.9 |
| 1997–98 | 9.5 | 3.3 | 4.9 | +0.75 | PHO | 50 | 12 | 25.8 | 44.7% | 15.4% | 87.1% | #90 | 67.6 |
| 1996–97 | 20.1 | 3.6 | 9.3 | +4.98 | PHO | 70 | 70 | 38.0 | 49.6% | 44.1% | 85.2% | #14 | 360.3 |
| 1995–96 | 18.7 | 3.9 | 9.2 | +4.45 | PHO | 56 | 55 | 35.8 | 50.7% | 36.8% | 85.9% | #16 | 251.4 |
| 1994–95 | 15.5 | 2.4 | 7.7 | +2.83 | PHO | 47 | 35 | 28.8 | 47.0% | 15.4% | 81.0% | #30 | 130.5 |
| 1993–94 | 20.0 | 2.5 | 9.5 | +3.09 | PHO | 67 | 67 | 36.6 | 48.7% | 22.2% | 81.9% | #24 | 251.2 |
| 1992–93 | 16.1 | 2.1 | 7.8 | +1.54 | PHO | 49 | 47 | 33.5 | 49.9% | 12.5% | 81.9% | #57 | 121.0 |
| 1991–92 | 19.7 | 3.7 | 10.7 | +2.74 | PHO | 78 | 78 | 37.2 | 47.9% | 21.7% | 80.7% | #26 | 284.6 |
| 1990–91 | 22.2 | 3.5 | 10.1 | +5.59 | PHO | 77 | 76 | 36.0 | 51.6% | 20.5% | 84.3% | #12 | 442.8 |
| 1989–90 | 22.5 | 3.6 | 11.4 | +3.93 | PHO | 74 | 74 | 37.6 | 49.9% | 19.5% | 83.8% | #19 | 346.1 |
| 1988–89 | 20.4 | 4.2 | 12.2 | +3.22 | PHO | 81 | 81 | 39.2 | 50.5% | 9.1% | 88.2% | #19 | 361.1 |
| 1987–88 | 9.2 | 2.4 | 5.5 | +1.30 | CLE/PHO | 80 | 28 | 24.0 | 46.1% | 20.8% | 83.9% | #50 | 130.4 |
| Career | 17.9 | 3.3 | 9.1 | — | CLE/PHO | 735 | — | 34.1 | 49.3% | 30.5% | 84.1% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Kevin Johnson highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Career highlights
Kevin Johnson career highlights
Kevin Johnson's career highlights adds visual context to the numbers on this page, especially his first step, paint pressure and playmaking for the Phoenix Suns. The vetted footage complements the season tables and impact model.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
17.1 composite · lower is better
16.0 average league finish
2,742 total value
Career standing
How Kevin Johnson ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score17.1
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 293.0
- Qualified seasons
- 11
- All-time rank
- #128
Strongest seasons
Every season
Kevin Johnson advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1999–00Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 33 | 6 | 113 | -4.24 | — | — | -4.9 | — | Limited |
| 1997–98Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 31 | 50 | 1,290 | +0.75 | 71.9 | #90 | 67.6 | 61st | Broad |
| 1996–97Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 30 | 70 | 2,658 | +4.98 | 95.9 | #14 | 360.3 | 97th | Broad |
| 1995–96Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 29 | 56 | 2,007 | +4.45 | 95.4 | #16 | 251.4 | 92nd | Broad |
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 28 | 47 | 1,352 | +2.83 | 90.6 | #30 | 130.5 | 78th | Broad |
| 1993–94Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 27 | 67 | 2,449 | +3.09 | 92.1 | #24 | 251.2 | 91st | Broad |
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 26 | 49 | 1,643 | +1.54 | 81.0 | #57 | 121.0 | 74th | Broad |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 25 | 78 | 2,899 | +2.74 | 91.3 | #26 | 284.6 | 93rd | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 24 | 77 | 2,772 | +5.59 | 96.2 | #12 | 442.8 | 97th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 23 | 74 | 2,782 | +3.93 | 93.7 | #19 | 346.1 | 94th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | PHO | 22 | 81 | 3,179 | +3.22 | 93.2 | #19 | 361.1 | 95th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | CLE/PHO | 21 | 80 | 1,917 | +1.30 | 80.4 | #50 | 130.4 | 78th | Broad |
Career movement
Kevin Johnson's career impact by season
Peak +5.59 in 1990–91 · 12 seasons · 25,061 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’99
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Kevin JohnsonKemba Walker
| NBA season | Kevin Johnson | Kemba Walker |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| 2 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| 3 | 3.9 | 2.3 |
| 4 | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| 5 | 2.7 | 4.4 |
| 6 | 1.5 | 4.9 |
| 7 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| 8 | 2.8 | 4.6 |
| 9 | 4.5 | 3.8 |
| 10 | 5.0 | 1.7 |
| 11 | 0.8 | 0.2 |
| 12 | -4.2 | -5.7 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Kevin Johnson
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PG · All-Time Career #177
Kemba Walker
92career similarity score
94/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 2016–17PG · All-Time Career #36Walt Frazier
92career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 1969–70PG · All-Time Career #103Doc Rivers
91career similarity score
95/100 closest-season score · 1990–91 ↔ 1986–87Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →