New story: The Comeback after the Collapse
I profiled Keyontae Johnson for The Ringer, now an NBA rookie for the Thunder.
Hi everyone! Here’s my newest story for The Ringer, a profile on Keyontae Johnson, who was just drafted by the OKC Thunder. His story is miraculous. You may remember his collapse on the court in 2020 while playing for Florida. But you might not know the in-between. Those two long, painful years in between when he attended dozens of doctor’s appointments, had more MRIs than he can count, sat in waiting rooms in hospitals, tried to stay patient, not to get discouraged. He had to look at himself in the mirror each day and ask himself how far he was willing to chase his dream.
He has a chance to live out that dream now. This is his story about resilience, patience and family. Please read and share this piece if you can!
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/7/6/23784901/keyontae-johnson-oklahoma-city-thunder-kansas-state
In other news…I am deep in the writing process on my Hakeem book. A *lot* of coffee is being consumed. I’m drawing from Jonathan Eig’s wonderful new MLK book “King” for inspiration as well as Kwame Alexander’s new book “Why Fathers Cry at Night.” Both beautiful, both gut-wrenching. The irony for me is that they are both non-fiction. Surprisingly, most of what I read is fiction! I need an escape from all of my own work.
I hope you enjoy this piece on Keyontae. His story is amazing. His future is bright. Sometimes all you need is a chance.