Former Florida Gators and Kansas State Wildcats outstanding wing Keyontae Johnson was chosen to play in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in recognition of his promising rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s G League affiliate, OKC Blue.
Oklahoma City selected Johnson in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft, and he has spent his rookie season splitting time between the Thunder and their G League franchise, the Blue.
The former Gators and Wildcats great has emerged as one of the G League’s best players, averaging 20 points on 52.3% shooting, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in six bench appearances with the Thunder.
His performance has indicated that he may make a permanent switch to the varsity roster in the near future.
Johnson was widely recognized as an NBA-caliber prospect during his first two seasons with the Gators in 2018-19 and 2019-20, before performing at a first-round level in the first three games of his junior year in 2020-21. Johnson, a potent scoring option and solid man-to-man defender, averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 72 career UF appearances.
Johnson’s Gators career came to an abrupt end after a terrifying collapse on the court against the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee, in which he fell into cardiac arrest and underwent emergency CPR by Florida athletic trainer Duke Werner before being evacuated to a nearby hospital.
He was judged medically ineligible by University of Florida medical professionals due to a persistent heart issue. Johnson submitted his name into the NCAA transfer portal, hoping to locate a program that would clear him for play.
He discovered Kansas State.
Johnson resurrected his basketball career with an impressive final season at the collegiate level, accounting for a career-high 17 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists to lead the Wildcats to the Elite Eight alongside guard Markquis Nowell in the first year of head coach Jerome Tang’s reign in Manhattan.
The previous dynamic combo will now compete in the G League Next Up Game on Sunday, February 18 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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