Philadelphia 76ers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson is the NBA Trainer of the Year?<..."/> Philadelphia 76ers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson is the NBA Trainer of the Year?<..."/>
The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Kevin Johnson NBA Trainer of the Year

By Bret Stuter

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Did you know that Philadelphia 76ers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson is the NBA Trainer of the Year?

The Philadelphia 76ers head athletic trainer loves his job. Now, mind you, it’s not a glamorous job. But it’s a vital part of an NBA Team.  Players are injured.  Injuries need immediate attention. And the best of the business is 76ers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson.


Wait… what?   Why didn’t I get the memo about the NBA Trainer of the Year?  Is this a thing now, or have I always been in the dark?  I mean, Kevin Johnson was the Philadelphia 76ers head athletic, and has been part of the staff since 2003.  Per his NBA.com biography, Johnson served as the head athletic trainer for the 2001 Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Performance proof

So he has to be pretty good, right?  So why haven’t we known about how good he is?  Well, it’s simply looking in the right places.  And here is proof

Johnson has been in the field for 22 years. While that seems like a very long time, he is always learning and improving his craft.  As a member of the National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA), he continues to stay abreast of the latest and greatest techniques.

And daresay he’s needed all that experience and training in recent years for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Tough career field

So what does an NBA trainer do besides wrap sprains with elastic bandages? It’s not as easy as you think.  You help professional athletes heal, but your life is a different level than theirs.

Basketball Insider’s Alex Kennedy wrote a piece about the life of an NBA trainer.  I recommend it. Like many worthwhile vocations, it takes a true humanitarian to do the work, and the pay will never match the salaries of the players he works on.

Next: NBA players want to play for Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown

However else you see it,  the work is a passion.  And it’s vital to the team to get athletes back in service as quickly as possible. In the end, there is not much written about the challenges of an NBA trainer’s career.  I think there should be.  Kevin N. Johnson is the best at his craft among the entire NBA.  And he is a member of the Philadelphia 76ers staff.

Thanks Kevin.