On Friday afternoon the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel officially cleared K-State’s Keyontae Johnson medically for his participation in the NBA Draft.
Johnson started his college basketball career at Florida, where he played two full seasons before collapsing in the fourth game of his junior season against Florida State. Johnson would eventually be diagnosed with “Athlete’s Heart,” which is an increase in cardiac mass due to systematic training that can lead to sudden death.
Johnson sat out the rest of the 2020-2021 season and all of 2021-2022, not being medically cleared by Florida. A doctor for the NBA Player’s Association cleared Johnson and he entered the transfer portal, winding up at K-State for his senior season of college basketball.
Johnson gave up an insurance policy that would have paid out over $1 million by playing college basketball again at K-State, hoping to rebuild his status as one of the game’s best players and an NBA prospect.
In 36 games with K-State, Johnson averaged 17.4 points per game and 6.8 rebounds, while helping take K-State back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 and reaching the Elite Eight.
Johnson officially announced his entry into the NBA Draft at the end of April and has until June 1st to remove his name and make a return for one final season to K-State. Johnson is currently projected to be a second-round pick in the NBA Draft and at 23 years old would be one of the oldest players selected in this year’s draft.