Keyontae Johnson, a standout junior forward for the Florida Gators’ men’s basketball team, was taken to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. Johnson, the preseason SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-Conference selection following last, collapsed after the team came out of a timeout during the first half of action, and after receiving attention from the medical staff in Tallahassee, was stretchered off and taken to a local hospital.
Before the incident, Johnson had just finished an alley-oop on a pass from Tyree Appleby. He was celebrating with teammates and walking toward the sideline before he collapsed.
Florida players were crying and hugging each other during the timeout. Gators coach Mike White put his arms around his players before the game restarted.
Both programs tweeted about the incident, with the Gators giving updates on the youngster and the ‘Noles sending out a positive sentiment towards Johnson and the Florida hoops program as a whole.
Keyontae Johnson is being taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, and we'll share an update when we can. https://t.co/bUkidjT4qd
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) December 12, 2020
Our thoughts and prayers with Keyontae Johnson and @GatorsMBK 🙏
— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) December 12, 2020
Per Florida SID Denver Parler, Johnson is in critical but stable condition.
Keyontae Johnson is in critical but stable condition at Tallahassee Memorial. We will provide more updates when we are able.
— Denver Parler (@denverparler) December 12, 2020
Johnson is a former four-star recruit in the class of 2017. He showed flashes as a freshman in Gainesville, then exploded onto the scene last year, averaging 14 points and 7.1 rebounds a night. Through three games this season, Johnson has averaged 19.7 points and six rebounds per game.
