Heart Health: Thunder Rookie Keyontae Johnson Follows Through On Promise With Non-Profit

Keyontae Johnson was always supposed to be an NBA player.

He knew it. His family knew it. Everyone knew it. Johnson was talented, and had the makings of a future basketball superstar — and you’d have known it, too, if you saw his game. That was one of the things that made him special, but it wasn’t the only thing.

Because after just two years playing college basketball at the University of Florida, everyone knew Johnson differently. Nearly 1,000 days ago, tragedy struck him and his family. Johnson collapsed mid-game and was transported to a hospital where he was said to be in “critical condition.” Many feared for Johnson’s life, and rightfully so.

But Johnson didn’t die. He was saved with the help of an athletic trainer who provided CPR, and later with the help of an AED — though if you ask him, there was another life-saving factor at work, too.

If you ask him, he was always saved by God.

“What’s up everyone, I’m Keyontae Johnson,” the Oklahoma City Thunder rookie said in a viral social media video. “A lot of y’all may know [that] I collapsed in a game on December 12, 2020. But I’m beyond grateful that God gave me a second chance to play the game that I love.”

Johnson’s “second-chance” inspired him to become not only an advocate for AED and heart-health, but also a partner with Heartfelt — a non-profit organization dedicated to providing cardiac screening for those who otherwise couldn’t access or afford the service.