
<p>It’s been an incredibly long road for former <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/kansas-state-wildcats/">Kansas State</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/florida-gators/">Florida</a></strong> wing <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/db/keyontae-johnson-142478/">Keyontae Johnson</a></strong> to even be an a prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft — or the NBA draft at all. After the then-Gator collapsed on the court during a game in 2020, it was unclear if he would ever play high-level basketball again.</p>



<p>But after resurrecting his college career at Kansas State, Johnson declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. And on Friday, the NBA’s Fitness to Play panel cleared him as healthy, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1662218775813582851?s=20">according to</a> ESPN’s <strong>Adrian Wojnarowski</strong>. </p>



<p>This decision paves the way for teams to potentially select him in the draft the coming draft.</p>



<p>Johnson was poised to be a key piece for the 20202-21 Florida men’s basketball team when, during the fourth game of the season, he collapsed on the court. He’d miss the remainder of that season and almost all of the 2021-22 season dealing with the heart-related issue.</p>



<p>After graduating from Florida, he transferred to Kansas State where in his lone season he helped lead the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. He averaged 17.4 points per game for the Wildcats and started all 36 games. He’ll likely be a second round selection or get signed as an undrafted free agent.</p>



<h2 id="h-johnson-marks-the-anniversary-of-his-collapse-as-rebirth-day">Johnson marks the anniversary of his collapse as ‘Rebirth Day’</h2>



<p>More than two years ago while playing for <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/florida-gators/">Florida</a></strong>, Johnson collapsed during a regular season game on Dec. 13, 2020.</p>



<p>After his eye-opening medical ordeal, Johnson has made a full recovery and now plays a key role for a Top 15 ranked Kansas State team. He now refers to that date — Dec. 13 — <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-state-wildcats/news/kansas-state-keyontae-johnson-embrace-rebirth-day-to-mark-his-return-from-heart-related-collapse-in-2020/">as his ‘Rebirth Day.</a></strong>’</p>



<p>“It’s what he’s dubbed his ‘Rebirth Day.’ That was the two-year anniversary of the day he collapsed,” ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden relayed during the first half of the <strong><a href="https://www.on3.com/college/kansas-jayhawks/">Kansas</a></strong>-Kansas State game on Tuesday. “And the perspective that changed when he woke up, the new outlook on life.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="9sCXievMHzcImrboO6kDdL"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rebirth Day <a href="https://t.co/xjksvlfdkX">pic.twitter.com/xjksvlfdkX</a></p>— Keyontae (@Keyontae) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keyontae/status/1602802070905561093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
</div></figure>



<p>The Kansas State men’s basketball program also played a role in celebrating the day for Johnson in 2022, with his teammates surprising him with a rendition of a happy birthday tune — although much different from the traditional tune.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<span class="UxNgjFrf40Y0N9i2WlviJ3OmcpqUT5KOXoCB8RBohH4hzE8gruVjQDvsd6FMbX1TePulaAGwtxEMwRmI3SkLy2C"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happy Rebirthday <a href="https://twitter.com/Keyontae?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Keyontae</a> 🎉 We’re thankful for every day with you <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KStateMBB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KStateMBB</a> x EMAW <a href="https://t.co/MXOnaKnJXi">https://t.co/MXOnaKnJXi</a> <a href="https://t.co/N10dSgfIXT">pic.twitter.com/N10dSgfIXT</a></p>— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/KStateMBB/status/1602808413804716032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></span>
</div></figure>



<p>“We all just want to be here to celebrate this thing with you. It’s amazing to see what God can do. And I’m thankful for the opportunity to live life with you,” head coach Jerome Tang said to Johnson in the video. “And happy birthday, many more to come!”</p>


NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament - East Regional

On3 Basketball

Former Florida, Kansas State wing Keyontae Johnson cleared for 2023 NBA Draft

team image

The Main Board

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

NIL Deal Tracker

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

College Draft Totals

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Culture

Sports Betting

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Former Florida, Kansas State wing Keyontae Johnson cleared for 2023 NBA Draft

AP Poll Prediction

Deion Sanders

Bracketology update

OSU hires OC

Instant Impact