Keldon Johnson

Last updated

Keldon Johnson
Keldon Johnson.png
Johnson with Kentucky in 2018
No. 3–San Antonio Spurs
Position Small forward / shooting guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1999-10-11) October 11, 1999 (age 26)
Chesterfield, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
College Kentucky (2018–2019)
NBA draft 2019: 1st round, 29th overall pick
Drafted by San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–present San Antonio Spurs
2019–2020 →Austin Spurs
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Team

Keldon Wilder Johnson (born October 11, 1999) [1] is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Contents

Johnson attended Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. He was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th overall pick. In 2021, he won an Olympic gold medal in basketball as a member of the United States national team.

Early life

Johnson was born in Chesterfield, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond, and grew up in the rural Virginia community of South Hill. [2] The son of a truck driver and a nurse, he grew up with three siblings. [3] Often called a "country boy," [3] [4] [5] he enjoyed fishing and hunting growing up. [6] [7] [8]

High school career

Johnson played his freshman and sophomore high school seasons at Park View High School in South Hill. [2] His freshman basketball season, he broke the Virginia High School League ninth-grade scoring record by averaging just over 27 points per game, and he earned all-state first team honors as a sophomore, positioning himself as a top 15 national that year. [3] He then joined the elite basketball programs at Huntington Prep School in West Virginia and Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, in his junior and senior years, respectively. [2]

During his time at Oak Hill, he was named the Virginia Gatorade High School Player of the Year and was selected to both the McDonald’s All American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic Game. [6]

Johnson was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the 13th best player in the 2018 class by 247Sports.com. [9] He committed to University of Kentucky to play college basketball, being joined by fellow recruits Immanuel Quickley, E. J. Montgomery, Ashton Hagans, and Tyler Herro. [10] [11]

College recruiting information
NameHometownSchoolHeightWeightCommit date
Keldon Johnson
SG/SF 		South Hill, VA Oak Hill Academy (VA)6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg)Nov 11, 2017 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  5 stars.svg     247Sports:  5 stars.svg     ESPN:  5 stars.svg    (94)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 15    247Sports: 18    ESPN: 7
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

College career

As a freshman, Johnson averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from behind the arc. He scored 19 points in a win over top-ranked Tennessee on February 16, 2019. Johnson pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds in a victory over Auburn. Following the season he declared for the NBA draft. [12]

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2019–present)

On June 20, 2019, Johnson was selected with the 29th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2019 NBA draft. [13] The Spurs obtained the draft pick used to draft Johnson in a 2018 trade; in that trade, Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard was sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, center Jakob Pöltl, and a draft choice. [14] Johnson was later listed in the roster of San Antonio Spurs for 2019 NBA Summer League hosted at Vivint Arena. [15] Johnson signed with the Spurs on July 1, 2019. [16] On October 30, 2019, Johnson received his first assignment to the Austin Spurs, the Spurs’ affiliate team in the NBA G League. [17]

Johnson made his NBA debut on November 22, 2019, playing two minutes in a 115–104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On August 11, 2020, Johnson scored a season-high 24 points in a 123–105 win over the Houston Rockets with eleven rebounds and three assists. [18]

On January 17, 2023, Johnson scored a career high 36 points along with 11 rebounds and 1 assist in a 106–98 win against the Brooklyn Nets. [19] On July 18, 2022, Johnson signed a four-year, $80 million rookie scale contract extension with the Spurs. [20] [21]

On October 31, 2023, Johnson put up 27 points alongside a key steal on Kevin Durant that led to a game-winner in a 115–114 win over the Phoenix Suns. [22]

As of the 2025-2026 season, Johnson is the longest tenured player on the Spurs. [5]

National team career

Johnson trained with the USA Men's Junior National Team in 2017 and 2018. In 2021, he was named to the USA Select team on July 1, then added to the men's national team on July 10, training with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team. [23] On July 16, 2021, Johnson and center JaVale McGee were named to the Olympic roster in place of the injured Kevin Love and Bradley Beal, who was kept from traveling to Tokyo for health and safety protocols. [24] Johnson played in four of six games, averaging 5.5 minutes. [23]

Personal life

Johnson majored in undeclared/exploratory studies in agriculture during his college time. [25] He enjoys fishing, hunting, and the outdoors. [26] Since 2021, Johnson has lived in a ranch home outside of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country; an animal lover, he has numerous goats, chickens, dogs, miniature cows, and horses. [5] He maintains a collection of cowboy hats and boots. [5]

Johnson's brother Kaleb also played college basketball, for Georgetown University during 2015–2019, and was drafted 34th overall by the Austin Spurs in the January 2021 NBA G League draft. [27] Kaleb plays for the Valley Suns following a trade the Austin Spurs made. [28]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2019–20 San Antonio 17117.7.596.591.7953.4.9.8.19.1
2020–21 San Antonio 696728.5.479.331.7406.01.8.6.312.8
2021–22 San Antonio 757431.9.466.398.7566.12.1.8.217.0
2022–23 San Antonio 636332.8.452.329.7495.02.9.7.222.0
2023–24 San Antonio 692729.5.454.346.7925.52.8.7.315.7
2024–25 San Antonio 77023.9.482.318.7734.81.6.6.312.7
Career37023228.6.467.352.7625.42.2.7.315.6

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2018–19 Kentucky 373630.7.461.381.7035.91.6.8.213.5

References

  1. ↑ "Keldon Wilder JOHNSON". fiba.basketball. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Jeter, Fred (July 4, 2019). "NBA draftee Keldon Johnson has local roots". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Osborn, Tom (June 23, 2019). "Spurs' draft pick Keldon Johnson a 'really good country kid'". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  4. ↑ McDonald, Jeff (October 20, 2025). "How 'country boy' Keldon Johnson became keeper of the Spurs' culture". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Guzman, Matt (October 22, 2025). "Now Longest-Tenured Spur, 'The Mustang' Ready to Ride Again". San Antonio Spurs On SI. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Keldon Johnson". UK Athletics. June 6, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  7. ↑ Staff, Mountain Eagle (October 17, 2018). "Meet UK frosh Keldon Johnson - The Mountain Eagle". The Mountain Eagle -. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  8. ↑ Aguirre, Priscilla (February 13, 2022). "San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson finds peace off-court with hunting, fishing". MySA. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Keldon Johnson, Oak Hill Academy Warriors, Small Forward". 247Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Keldon Johnson "same level" as great players Steve Smith has coached at Oak Hill". Vaughts Views. May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Choose your own Kentucky basketball adventure: Build 2018–19 Cats roster from available options". SEC Country. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  12. ↑ Fisher, Chris (April 10, 2019). "Keldon Johnson declares for 2019 NBA Draft". 247 Sports. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ Orsborn, Tom (June 20, 2019). "Spurs select Kentucky's Keldon Johnson with 29th overall pick". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  14. ↑ "San Antonio Spurs: Keldon Johnson proving he's the prize of Kawhi trade". August 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ "SPURS ANNOUNCE 2019 SALT LAKE CITY SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER". NBA.com. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  16. ↑ "SPURS SIGN 2019 FIRST ROUND PICK KELDON JOHNSON". NBA.com. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  17. ↑ "SPURS ASSIGN LUKA SAMANIC AND KELDON JOHNSON TO AUSTIN SPURS". NBA.com. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Spurs keep playoff hopes alive with 123–105 win over Rockets". ESPN.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Minnesota Timberwolves vs San Antonio Spurs Mar 14, 2022 Box Scores". NBA.com .
  20. ↑ "SPURS SIGN KELDON JOHNSON TO CONTRACT EXTENSION". NBA. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  21. ↑ "San Antonio Spurs' Keldon Johnson agrees to 4-year, $80M extension". ESPN. July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  22. ↑ Pagaduan, Jedd (October 31, 2023). "Spurs: Victor Wembanyama sets stage for Kevin Durant choke, Keldon Johnson heroics". ClutchPoints. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Keldon Johnson". USA Basketball. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Johnson, McGee replace Love, Beal for Olympics". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 16, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Keldon Johnson – Men's Basketball – University of Kentucky Athletics". ukathletics.com. June 6, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ Spears, Marc J. (February 9, 2022). "'It's OK to be different': Spurs forward Keldon Johnson feels at home outdoors". Andscape. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Austin Spurs select Jonathan Kasibabu, Anthony Mathis and Kaleb Johnson in 2021 NBA G League draft". NBA.com. January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Valley Suns acquire Kaleb Johnson in trade with Austin Spurs". Arizona Sports. September 19, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.