Rodney Johns

Rodney Johns
Johns in 1988
Personal information
Born(1964-10-13)October 13, 1964
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 1995(1995-12-05) (aged 31)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolPhoenix Union (Phoenix, Arizona)
College
NBA draft1988: 3rd round, 55th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career1990–1993
Career history
As player:
1989Altos Auckland
As coach:
1990–1993Grand Canyon (assistant)
Career highlights and awards

Rodney Glenn Johns Sr. (October 13, 1964 – December 5, 1995) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Scottsdale CC Fighting Artichokes, South Mountain CC Cougars and Grand Canyon Antelopes. Johns led the Antelopes to the NAIA men's basketball championship in 1988 and was selected as the most valuable player of the tournament.

Johns was selected in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft by his hometown Phoenix Suns but did not make the team. He played professionally in New Zealand for one season and then returned to Grand Canyon where he became an assistant coach for the Antelopes from 1990 to 1993. Johns desired a career in coaching but was unable to find another position. On December 5, 1995, he drove his car at a high speed into a wall in Phoenix, Arizona, killing himself and his sister, Deborah Peters, who was a passenger.