SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio forward Keldon Johnson got the opportunity of a lifetime to put on the Team USA basketball jersey and capture the gold medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics.
A huge accomplishment in his otherwise young pro-career.
It reflected how much he's grown as a player in just a few seasons as a professional player.
However, some felt he made the team thanks to Spurs' Gregg Popovich serving as the USA head coach.
And Johnson wants to be clear, he earned that roster spot himself as he told The Undefeated.
“They pulled me to the side that morning and was just like, ‘We want to invite you to the Olympics,’” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to believe it until I knew, ‘All right, I’m going.’ Wild. Wild. I was just kind of shocked because nobody expected that.' And some people were quick to be like, ‘Well, Pop was the coach.’ And those are the people that never be around Pop. Because if they knew Pop, everyone in there had to agree in order for me to be on that team."
"He’s not going to give me anything easy. Last thing he wants is, ‘Oh, well, I’m putting him on the team because of me.’ I know I worked hard for it," he said.
Johnson played well with Team USA even in limited minutes.
His energy and toughness were needed when the team was struggling to develop chemistry ahead of the Olympic games.
Ultimately, Johnson earned himself a gold medal and was not shy about his accomplishment wearing it daily once he had it in hand.
“Man, I was mesmerized,” Johnson said. “I was just like, ‘Damn, it’s really true.’ And I know I put in the time and I worked for it, but just to see it in your hands, like, ‘I got a gold medal.’ That’s crazy.”
Aside from netting himself a gold medal, Johnson learned a lot from his veteran teammates like Draymond Green.
In Green, Johnson found himself, someone, to lean on and learn more about how to play.
“And he was always someone I could go and ask a question to, and he’d give me an honest answer. And [I appreciated] just seeing how he approached the game and how he break down the game, how he look at the game, how he could control the game without scoring the basketball," Johnson told The Undefeated.
Johnson is having a solid third NBA season.
He is posting career-highs in points per game (15.4) and three-point shooting (43%). He is also averaging 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
The sky's the limit for Johnson who already has a gold medal, and a 2021 Rising Stars nod.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5