Johnson had ‘blast’ bringing energy to Team USA – San Antonio Express-News
LAS VEGAS — Spurs forward and new gold medalist Keldon Johnson didn’t mind taking a back seat to the stars who surrounded him on Team USA.
“Everybody has a role,” Johnson said. “Some games I played, some games I didn’t play. I was there to support and do whatever I could do to help us win. I just tried to be myself and bring energy, which everybody knows I do … pretty well.”
That includes Draymond Green. Unprompted and with great glee, the three-time NBA champion stopped on his way out of the arena after the medal ceremony to deliver a message to the media, some of whom had questioned why coach Gregg Popovich added Johnson from the practice squad to the Olympic team after Bradley Beal entered the health and safety protocols.
“We got a young 21-year-old they said shouldn’t be here,” Green said with an arm wrapped around Johnson. “They gave Pop (crap) for it. And he brought more energy than anybody. That’s what we needed.”
Meeting on Thursday at Cox Pavilion with local media for the first time since leaving Tokyo, Johnson called his Olympic experience a “blast” and spoke of the surreal nature of winning gold alongside Green, Kevin Durant and so many other NBA stars.
“When it was all over, it kind of didn’t feel real,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, this is like a dream. I am blessed and honored to have had an opportunity like that to play for the United States of America. It was hard to take in at first, but I am just happy and blessed.”
Selected 29th overall by the Spurs out of Kentucky in the 2019 draft, Johnson was just the sixth player 21 or younger to be on a U.S. Olympic roster since NBA players first were allowed to play in 1992.
Making the experience even sweeter was the way the Americans overcame early adversity to win their fourth straight gold medal. After disappointing in exhibition play and losing its Olympic opener to France, Team USA went on an undefeated roll that ended with an 87-82 victory over France in which Durant scored 29 points.
“We all believed — the whole group — that as long as we just stayed together we would be successful,” Johnson said.
Blasted by some critics after the shaky start, Popovich finally collected the gold medal he has sought since he was cut as a player from the 1972 U.S. team. Before Tokyo, the five-time NBA champion had been on the staff of three U.S. teams in the Olympics or world championships but had reached the medal stand just once, collecting bronze as an assistant at the 2004 Olympics.
United States’ Keldon Johnson (4), right, celebrates with assistant coach Steve Kerr after their win in the men’s basketball gold medal game against France at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Eric Gay, STF / Associated Press
“Just seeing how much time and hard work he put into it, you could tell he wanted it so bad,” Johnson said. “Just to see the relief on his face and him being able to smile after it was over, it was nice.”
Back home, Johnson’s family in Virginia enjoyed an emotional celebration.
“My mother was yelling, jumping up and down,” Johnson said. “My dad was kind of speechless. He didn’t really know what to say.”
Johnson believes being around players like Green and Durant at the Olympics will make him a better player. After spending his rookie season mainly in the G League playing for the Austin Spurs, Johnson enjoyed a breakout season with the big club in 2020-21, averaging nearly 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while capturing the hearts of fans with his enthusiastic play and boundless energy.
“Decision-making is big for them, and being precise with every decision, even little movements,” Johnson said of his Olympic teammates. “There was a real big emphasis on that. They are such good players. We could be all day talking about all the things I learned, moving the ball, playing off our teammates, seeing the play before it happens.”
In Vegas to cheer on the Summer League Spurs team, which includes his brother Kaleb, Johnson has kept up with all the changes the front office has made to the roster, including the departures of veterans DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay.
“We are excited,” Johnson said, referring to himself and fellow 20-something teammates such as point guard Dejounte Murray, who also spent time this week in Vegas watching the Summer Leaguers.
“We trust the Spurs. We have bought into whatever they have in store for us.”
But for now, Johnson is still basking in the glow of a gold medal he wears constantly.
“It’s hard to take it off,” he said. “It’s such a big accomplishment.”
torsborn@express-news.net
Twitter: Tom_Orsborn