New soul food spot owned by former NBA star set to open in Five Points next year

Kevin Johnson hadn’t planned to open his Denver restaurant, Fixins Soul Kitchen, until 2026.

The former Phoenix Suns point guard and onetime mayor of Sacramento, California, joked that it wasn’t until he made a wager with Mayor Michael Hancock on the Denver Nuggets winning the NBA championship that he changed his mind. (And if they didn’t win, Hancock would have to dress up as the Suns’ team mascot, Go the Gorilla.)

“I thought to myself, ‘First of all, you’re not going to beat Phoenix, let alone win the championship,’” joked Johnson, a three-time NBA all-star.

In late June, Johnson, along with Hancock and former Mayor Wellington Webb, visited the Five Points community and announced Fixins Soul Kitchen’s upcoming opening at 2600 Welton St. on the ground floor of The Hooper apartment complex.

Johnson, who was Sacramento’s mayor from 2008 to 2016, said he wanted to announce the opening of his soul food restaurant before Hancock finishes his mayoral term on J...