Former NBA Star, Politician Kevin Johnson Opens Restaurant In LA

LOS ANGELES, CA —With a Lakers roster featuring Carmelo Anthony (age 37) LeBron James (36), Trevor Ariza (36) and Rajon Rondo (35), The Staples Center increasingly is becoming a home for aging NBA players.

However, if fans run into one-time Phoenix Suns star Kevin Johnson near the arena this season, they shouldn't fear the Lakers are adding the 55-year-old former point guard to their roster.

Instead, Johnson, who also served as the mayor of Sacramento, is the owner of a new restaurant called Fixins Soul Kitchen, which is located across the street from Staples at L.A. Live. Fixins had its Grand Opening on Monday night.

The restaurant, which offers "authentic soul food," actually is the second Fixins location. Johnson and his wife Michelle Rhee, the one-time schools chancellor in Washington D.C., opened the first Fixins in Sacramento in 2019.

Located next to the Grammy Museum in the former home of Shaquille's at 800 W. Olympic Blvd. Suite A150, Fixins is a 6,800-square-foot restaurant that describes itself as paying "homage to (Johnson's) amazing African American family and his broader network of friends and associates by featuring all of their best recipes and family favorites."

Among the highlights on the menu, according to LA.Eater.com are: peach cobbler, fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, oxtails, smothered pork chops, fried green tomatoes, catfish nuggets, burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches and salads. Sides include: charred okra, black eyed peas and collard greens. The vegan menu features blackened tofu with corn succotash.

Restaurant management said Fixins also is committed to becoming "deeply embedded" in the community, and in Sacramento it partnered with an organization that encourages disadvantaged youth to become interested in the restaurant industry. It also served as a second-chance employer to assist with re-entry into the workforce for underemployed populations.

According to LA.Eater.com, Fixins is involved in similar efforts in LA, and it is expected to work with Brotherhood Crusade, a nonprofit that provides resources and programs to underserved communities. Plus, Fixins will support the Ron Finley Project, which teaches communities to "transform food deserts to food sanctuaries."

Highly respected as player, Johnson, known as "KJ" played 13 seasons in the NBA, 12 of them with the Phoenix Suns. He was a three-time NBA All-Star and helped lead the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals.

In 2008, Johnson was the first African American elected mayor of Sacramento, and he was re-elected in 2012. However, his fall from grace was swift, and he chose not to run for a third term due to allegations of sexual misconduct.

At Monday's Grand Opening, Johnson cut a red ribbon to open the establishment. Joining Johnson at the event, was his former Phoenix Suns teammate and NBA legend Charles Barkley, in town for the NBA on TNT's broadcast of Tuesday night's Warriors at Lakers game.