Keyontae Johnson

Marrecus Keyontae Johnson (born May 24, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball at Kansas State and Florida.

Keyontae Johnson
Johnson with Florida in 2020
No. 18 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-05-24) May 24, 2000
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2023: 2nd round, 50th overall pick
Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentOklahoma City Thunder
2023–present→Oklahoma City Blue
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and high school career

Johnson grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and originally attended Norview High School before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida before his junior year.[1] He played at IMG for one season before transferring again to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia for his senior season after his head coach, Vince Walden, left the school to become an assistant coach at Arkansas State. During the Nike EYBL finals at Peach Jam, Johnson averaged 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.[2] As a senior, he scored at least 18 points in 19 of Oak Hill's games.[3] Rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN (who also rated him as a top 100 recruit), Johnson committed to playing college basketball for Florida over an offer from Texas Tech while also receiving interest from Providence, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.[4][5][6]

College career

Florida

In 2018, Johnson began his true freshman season as a key reserve, and eventually became the Gators' starting small forward going into the team's game against Georgia. He started the final 20 games of the season, and finished the season with 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.[7][8]

Johnson averaged 13.7 points and 10 rebounds during the 2019 SEC men's basketball tournament, as the Gators went to the tournament semifinal. He scored 20 points and 12 rebounds in the opening round against Arkansas, a double-double.[9][10]

On February 26, 2020, Johnson scored a career-high 25 points to go with 11 rebounds in an 81–66 win against LSU.[11] As a sophomore, he averaged 14 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game and was named first team All-SEC.[12][13]

On December 12, 2020, Johnson collapsed on the court in a game at Florida State.[14] When he arrived at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, doctors assessed him to be in critical, but stable condition. After three days in a medically induced coma at Tallahassee Memorial, Johnson was taken back to Gainesville, Florida for further treatment. On December 15, it was reported that he was awake, speaking,[15] and responding to commands.[16] On December 28, head coach Mike White announced that Johnson had rejoined the team as a coach.[17]

Johnson was announced as the honorary starter on Senior Day against Kentucky on March 5, 2022, and received a standing ovation.[18] On May 1, he entered the transfer portal.[19]

Kansas State

On August 20, 2022, Johnson committed to Kansas State. Johnson was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and joined teammate Markquis Nowell on the First Team All-Big 12. Along with Nowell, Johnson led Kansas State to the Elite Eight in the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. [20]

Professional career

On April 24, 2023, Johnson officially declared for the NBA Draft. With his heart issues, Johnson still needed to be cleared for contact by the NBA and did not participate in the physical components of the NBA Draft Combine. However, after being cleared by the NBA's Fitness to Play panel on May 26, 2023, Johnson officially kept his name in the NBA Draft and began working out for teams.[21][22]

On June 22, 2023, Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder[23] and on July 7, he signed a two-way contract.[24]

Personal life

On March 16, 2022, Alachua County police filed a sworn complaint, claiming that Johnson sexually assaulted a woman, but the case was later dropped. Alachua County court records showed that prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case. [25][26][27]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Florida 362023.8.470.365.6436.41.31.10.38.1
2019–20 Florida 313131.3.544.380.7687.11.61.20.314.0
2020–21 Florida 4420.3.641.429.7864.51.31.00.016.0
2021–22 Florida 110.0–––0.00.00.00.00.0
2022–23 Kansas State 363634.1.516.405.7156.82.11.00.217.4
Career 1089229.0.519.389.7186.61.61.10.313.1

References
  1. Rubama, Larry; Saunders, Brian (January 30, 2017). "Former Norview star makes impressive return to South Hampton Roads". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. Regan, Brett (January 24, 2018). "Florida Commit Keyontae Johnson is Ready for the Big Stage". Slam. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. Rydquist, Ted (January 16, 2020). "Men's basketball profile: Keyontae Johnson". Gators Wire. USA Today. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  4. Polacek, Scott (November 10, 2017). "4-Star SF Prospect Keyontae Johnson Commits to Florida over Texas Tech". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  5. "Four-star wing Keyontae Johnson would bring versatility and athleticism to Gophers". Star Tribune. October 13, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  6. Woodhouse, Camille (October 14, 2019). "Keyontae Johnson: An Emerging Leader with a New Attitude". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  7. Flaherty, Kevin (June 14, 2019). "The best small forwards in college basketball for 2019-20". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  8. Carroll, Brandon (January 18, 2020). "Keyontae Johnson Will Be Depended On Entering Gators' Tough Stretch". SI.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. Young, Jacob (October 27, 2019). "#10 FLORIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL 2019-2020 PREVIEW". CollegeSportsMadness.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. Levy, Joey (March 14, 2019). "Gators Open Up SEC Tournament with Win Over Arkansas". WRUF.com. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  11. "Career nights for Johnson, Lewis as Florida thumps LSU 81-66". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. Long, Mark (March 5, 2020). "Versatile Johnson is 'Key' to Florida's late-season surge". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  13. Hall, Graham (March 11, 2020). "Florida basketball: Keyontae Johnson ready to take over for Gators in SEC Tournament". The News-Press. The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  14. Medcalf, Myron (December 12, 2020). "Florida Gators star Keyontae Johnson collapses on court". ESPN. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  15. "Florida basketball player Keyontae Johnson speaking, calling teammates via FaceTime | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  16. Jackson, Wilton (December 12, 2020). "Florida's Keyontae Johnson Is in Critical, Stable Condition After On-Court Collapse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  17. Long, Mark (December 28, 2020). "Florida's Johnson rejoins team, works as coach amid recovery". Associated Press. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  18. "Keyontae Johnson gets ceremonial start for Florida 15 months after on-court collapse". New York Post. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  19. "Florida men's basketball player Keyontae Johnson enters name into NCAA transfer portal". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  20. Gerber, Lainey (March 5, 2023). "Keyontae Johnson named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year". KSNT. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  21. Robinett, Kellis (April 24, 2023). "Keyontae Johnson declares for NBA Draft but leaves door open for Kansas State return". Yahoo.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  22. Wojnarowski, Adrian (May 26, 2023). "Keyontae Johnson cleared to be selected in NBA draft, agents say". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  23. Martinez, Justin (June 22, 2023). "OKC Thunder selects Kansas State's Keyontae Johnson with No. 50 pick in 2023 NBA Draft". Oklahoman.com. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  24. "Thunder Signs Keyontae Johnson to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  25. "Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed on court, accused of sexual battery". USA Today. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  26. "Florida basketball star Keyontae Johnson accused in sexual assault". WUFT. 25 March 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  27. "Sexual assault case dropped against Gators basketball player Keyontae Johnson". WCJB. 7 July 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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