Longhorns Country

Longhorns Love? Spurs' Keldon Johnson Reveals How He Almost Committed to Texas

Keldon Johnson, who played one year with the Kentucky Wildcats before the San Antonio Spurs selected him at No. 29 overall in 2019, admitted that the Texas Longhorns caught his eye while deciding where he'd commit to play collegiate ball.
Zach Dimmitt|
Longhorns Love? Spurs' Keldon Johnson Reveals How He Almost Committed to Texas
Longhorns Love? Spurs' Keldon Johnson Reveals How He Almost Committed to Texas

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San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson has made a name for himself in the NBA while playing in the Lone Star State.

But his journey in the state of Texas nearly began long before he became arguably the best player for legendary coach Gregg Popovich during this current 2022-23 season.

Johnson, who played one year with the Kentucky Wildcats before the Spurs selected him at No. 29 overall in 2019, admitted in an interview with KVUE Austin that the Texas Longhorns were right at the top of his commitment choices before ultimately deciding to take his talents to Lexington.

"When I was going through high school, that was one of my final choices, Kentucky and Texas," Johnson said. " ... Texas was in first place for a long time in my recruitment because Kentucky offered me late. ... I was all in on Texas."

Johnson spent just one season at Kentucky, going the typical one-and-done route that has given the program the reputation as one of the best in the country at producing NBA talent.

Despite the success he found there, he said his recruiting trip to the Forty Acres was "his best visit."

"It was crazy, it was my best visit," Johnson said.

However, Johnson obviously didn't become a Longhorn. He admitted that the NBA path he knew Kentucky would provide for him is what determined his final decision.

"Not that Texas wouldn't set me up to be where I'm at now, but I just knew the pedigree of Kentucky and Coach Cal ... and what they've done with players ... I felt like that was the best decision," Johnson said.

Everything seems to be coming full circle for Johnson, as he and the Spurs are set to play two games at the Moody Center in Austin on April 6 and April 8.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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