One of the most terrifying stories in sports last year was perhaps also one of the most miraculous.
Florida’s top performer, Keyontae Johnson, collapsed in court in December last year and had to be placed in a medically induced coma, allegedly due to acute myocarditis. The condition, a form of heart inflammation that can interfere with the pumping of blood, has been linked to COVID-19, but Johnson’s family said the virus was not linked to the case.
Johnson’s collapse was disturbing, but he revealed new information in an interview with Chris Harry in Florida that sheds new light on the incident. Apparently Johnson’s situation could have been much worse, even fatal, if a cardiologist had not sat in court during the match:
“I would say I’m blessed to be here, yes. There’s just not much more to say,” Johnson said, recalling the day a cardiologist – like a guardian angel from above – happened to be in the court sat in Tallahassee and ran to the floor to help. “I was killed. I could die. She jumped on the court and saved me. If it was not for her, I might not have had a second chance at life. You just can not take life for granted. “
Even with the help of the cardiologist, Johnson remained in a critical condition for a few days and only returned to the team more than two weeks later. He has not played in a game since then and the rest of the season.
Johnson told Florida he now “feels normal, like nothing really happened” and he hopes to resume basketball activities this summer. It will reportedly require a lot of tests – MRIs, ECGs, stress tests – and the possibility is still that his basketball career could be over if doctors consider the game too risky.
Johnson was named the SEC Player of the Year prior to this season and was in the three games before his crash with 19.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Keyontae Johnson: ‘I thought I was dreaming’
Johnson also gave his perspective to play and then wake up in the hospital, and the whole thing sounds surreal:
“I watched the highlights of that game. I shot one, and the next time we stopped, I came down and got a street-open dunk – and then I fell into a time-out. … When I woke up, I think I was dreaming when I saw my mother in front of me.I remember the [doctor] call my name. She asked me questions to see if I would respond. I was quite drowsy but could open my eyes. My mother was standing right next to her. The [doctor] said, “Who’s talking about this?” I had a tube in my mouth, but I could say, “My mom.” Then I saw my mother smiling and crying at the same time. Tears of joy. Smile and cry. Then I think I went to sleep again.
“The next time I woke up, Coach White and Coach Nice were there. They smiled. Then, later in the day, I went with my teammates FaceTimed to let them know I was fine. I could not speak, but I put a thumb up. -up and could see them. They all smile and are very happy to see me. I was still drowsy and they were vague but I could see them. “
Johnson said he watched a video of the crash in the hospital (his first reaction: ‘Damn!’), And woke up to more than 2,000 messages between texts, voicemails, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. He says his voicemail remains full.
More from Yahoo Sports: