Oakland mayor boosts disgraced NBA star’s proposed new restaurant

Allegations that Kevin Johnson sexually abused several girls may have derailed his political career, but his rebrand as a restaurant mogul is chugging along. Oakland’s business and political elite were on hand Wednesday to cheer on the announcement of a new Johnson restaurant at 306 24th St., near Lake Merritt.

The former NBA player and Sacramento mayor has opened three locations of Fixins, a soul food restaurant, in Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao was among those there to boost Johnson’s newest venture on Wednesday.

“It’s amazing that you’re saying I’m boosting Kevin,” Thao told SFGATE. “I think Kevin is boosting Oakland.”

At Wednesday’s event, SFGATE asked Thao about the extensive allegations of sexual abuse against Johnson. She did not answer the question, instead insisting the future restaurant would be a “great space” for “young people.”

“You know what, I’m here to celebrate the establishment of Fixins,” she added. “I’m here to really invest in the city of Oakland and this is going to be a beautiful space for community. This is going to be a great space for investing in local jobs for our young people, for people who believe that being in the restaurant business is where they want to be at.

“And not just that, but you can see the local businesses are here supporting Fixins. So it’s never about one person, it’s always about the community and I will always support people and things investing in the city of Oakland and into my community to make it better and safer.”

The Oakland brass seemed eager to support Johnson’s restaurant despite the two decades of sexual abuse allegations that have followed the former mayor. In 1996, when Johnson was playing for the Phoenix Suns, Mandi Koba accused Johnson of sexually abusing her when she was 15. (SFGATE does not typically identify victims of alleged sexual assault unless they choose to come forward publicly. Koba has been public about her account for years.)

Johnson reached a six-figure settlement with Koba, Deadspin reported in 2015. Later that year, the website published video of a police interview where Koba describes Johnson’s alleged abuse in graphic detail. The next year, HBO aired interviews with two former students from St. HOPE, Johnson’s Sacramento charter school, who said Johnson groped them when they were 18. Johnson has denied those accounts. In 2016, he called Koba’s account “unfortunate” and “not true.”

Other business and political figures who spoke on Wednesday included former mayor Elihu Harris, real estate mogul John Wayland, Fredrika Newton  —  the widow of Huey Newton — and comedian Mark Curry. Each took the time to celebrate Johnson’s business acumen and thank him for bringing his restaurant to Oakland.

Thao was elected mayor of Oakland last November, and described Johnson as a “true mentor” whom she only came to know recently.

Fixins is a soul food restaurant that “celebrates African American cultures and traditions,” according to a press release. Johnson said Wednesday that the target opening is next May.