3 Keldon Johnson

Keldon Johnson was born Keldon Wilder Johnson on October 11, 1999, in Chesterfield, Virginia, to Rochelle and Chris Johnson. Raised in South Hill, Virginia, he played his junior season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia before transferring to Oak Hill Academy, where he averaged 22.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a senior. Johnson earned Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year honors and appeared in both the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. Regarded as one of the nation’s leading prospects, he committed to Kentucky in November 2017 after also considering Maryland, North Carolina State, Texas, UCLA and Kansas.

Johnson brought relentless energy, physical play and a fearless scoring mentality to Kentucky during the 2018–19 season. He started 36 of his 37 games and finished with 498 points and 217 rebounds, averaging 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds while helping the Wildcats reach the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. Particularly effective against elite competition, Johnson averaged 14.6 points in Kentucky’s 12 games against ranked opponents. The SEC coaches named him Freshman of the Year, and he also earned All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team recognition.

Several of Johnson’s performances captured the aggressive style that made him a fan favorite. He scored 23 points against Duke in his college debut, poured in a career-high 27 against Tennessee State and hit six 3-pointers in a 24-point performance against Utah. His dramatic half-court basket at the buzzer forced overtime against Seton Hall, while his 19 points helped Kentucky end top-ranked Tennessee’s 19-game winning streak. Johnson later scored 25 points against Abilene Christian in his NCAA Tournament debut and recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds in his final Kentucky game.

After one season in Lexington, Johnson entered the 2019 NBA Draft and was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th overall pick. He developed into a dependable scorer and high-energy contributor for San Antonio, won an Olympic gold medal with the United States at the Tokyo Games and was named the 2025–26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. In earning that award, he became only the second Spurs player after Manu Ginóbili to receive the honor, extending a professional career built on the same strength, enthusiasm and competitive spirit Kentucky fans saw during his lone season in blue.