Florida Gators star Keyontae Johnson made his first public statements Friday since collapsing on the court in Tallahassee last Saturday, releasing a video on Twitter and Instagram thanking everyone for supporting him.
“Hey everybody, first and foremost I’d like to thank God,” Johnson said in a 25-second video. “I know y’all have been sending y’all prayers the last few weeks, and me and my parents are very grateful for the prayers that have been going out.
“To all doctors and medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial and UF Shands, I just want to say thank you for all the support y’all gave me, especially the lady that was in the gym at Florida State. To my Gator Nation and UF Athletic family, I just want to thank you for all the prayers that y’all gave out to me. Go Gators.”
“Write your own story” God said my work here ain’t done 💙🤞🏽 pic.twitter.com/hJHlBIJmdg
— Keyontae (@Keyontae) December 18, 2020
Johnson, with an IV line connected to his right arm, punctuated the video with a Gator chomp.
He collapsed in the first half of Florida’s game against Florida State on Saturday, falling face-first while heading back onto the court after a first-half timeout. He was given emergency medical attention and taken off the court on a stretcher before being rushed to Tallahassee Memorial.
Johnson had been upgraded to stable condition Tuesday and began breathing on his own and speaking to family and doctors.
Florida canceled its game Wednesday against North Florida, and postponed its next three games against Florida Atlantic, Florida A&M and James Madison. The Gators’ next scheduled game is their SEC opener at Vanderbilt on Dec. 30.
Johnson, an All-SEC selection last season and a projected first-round NBA draft pick, was averaging 16.0 points through four games this season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.