Florida men's basketball star Keyontae Johnson posts first message since collapse

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Florida Gators men's basketball star Keyontae Johnson on Friday made his first public comments since collapsing on the court during a game against Florida State last week.

Johnson posted a 26-second video on social media thanking everyone for supporting him.

"Hey everybody, first and foremost I'd like to thank God," Johnson said in the video. "I know y'all have been sending prayers the last few weeks, and me and my parents are very grateful for the prayers that have been going out.

"To all the doctors and medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial and UF Shands, I just want to say thank you for all the support y'all gave me, especially the lady that was in the gym at Florida State. To my Gator Nation and UF Athletic family, I just want to thank you for all the prayers that y'all gave out to me. Go Gators."

Johnson, who had an IV line connected to his right arm, ended the short video with a "Gator Chomp." The star forward captioned the video: "God said my work here ain't done."

During the first half of Florida's game against Florida State on Saturday, Johnson collapsed face-first while heading back onto the court following a timeout. He received emergency medical attention on the court before being transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. He was later airlifted to UF Health in Gainesville, Fla.

Johnson was upgraded to stable condition Tuesday. Earlier this week, he had started breathing on his own and was able to speak to his family and doctors.

To this point, Florida has canceled four of its games because of the incident. The Gators' next scheduled game is their Southeastern Conference opener at Vanderbilt on Dec. 30.

Johnson, the SEC preseason Player of the Year and an All-SEC selection last season, is a projected first-round NBA draft pick. He was averaging 16 points through four games this season.