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The Webb School Retires Keon Johnson's High School Basketball Jersey

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez02/27/25lawandfern
Keon Johnson
© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson returned to his high school alma mater, Tennessee’s The Webb School, for his jersey retirement. It’s the first jersey retirement ceremony the Bell Buckle-based school has ever had.

Therefore, no other future Feet basketball athlete will wear Johnson’s number 23 jersey. It’s an honor fitting for an athlete who earned two Tennessee Mr. Basketball honors. Johnson averaged 25.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game as a sophomore for The Webb School. A year later, he averaged 25.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

Johnson started another terrific season during his junior year, averaging 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in his first four games. However, a meniscus injury ended his season and his high school basketball career.

Setbacks did not deter Keon Johnson from achieving basketball success. Before attending high school, he had open fractures in his fingers and lost consciousness due to a fireworks accident. Luckily for him, a surgery that repaired his blood vessels negated the need for amputation.

Likewise, the meniscus injury did not prevent him from playing college basketball for the University of Tennessee. He did enough to become a five-star recruit who also considered Virginia and Ohio State.

Johnson averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in his lone season with the Volunteers. Those numbers are enough to earn him a spot in the 2021 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team.

While he still had college ball eligibility, Johnson declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, wherein the New York Knicks selected him 21st overall. However, the Knicks traded his draft rights to the Los Angeles Clippers, which gave him a rookie scale contract.

After playing for three NBA teams and their G-League affiliates, Keon Johnson found a home with the Brooklyn Nets. The Atlantic Division squad signed him to a multi-year deal after playing five games for them last season. Johnson averaged 5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 82 career games.