Keshad Johnson calls it “the greatest story of my life.”
It was traumatic. It was life-changing. That day, November 6, 2011, his older brother, Kenny, was shot 10 times.
“It’s such a blessing and a miracle that he’s still alive and walking around on this earth,” Keshad said.
Kenny’s dream of becoming a professional basketball player came to an end on that nightmare day. Oddly enough, it was also the day Keshad’s life changed.
Thirteen years later, he’s on the cusp of realizing the dream his brothers shared. The 6-foot-6 Keshad is a tenacious defender who will play as a 3-and-D wing at the next level and will soon turn pro. He’s projected to be selected between the late first round and the mid-second round in this week’s NBA draft.
Kenny was a talented athlete, a star basketball and football player, and Keshad, four years his junior, followed him everywhere. He called his brother “the real deal… ready to be the guy coming out of Oakland.”
Then tragedy struck. It was a case of mistaken identity. Kenny, then 14, was driving home in the dangerous Lower Bottoms neighborhood of West Oakland, California, after staying the night at a friend’s house when an SUV pulled up and two men got out. They shot Kenny, one of the bullets grazing his spine.
Johnson Sr. Courtesy of the Johnson family
Doctors told him he would never walk again, but he overcame the odds: Kenny can now walk with forearm crutches and drive a car with the help of manual controls.
Keshad was distraught. When his family heard Kenny had been shot, they rushed to his side. He found his brother bleeding on the sidewalk just outside the elementary school. At first, he wasn’t sure if Kenny would survive. It felt like it took forever for an ambulance to arrive.
Basketball helped him grow up, and he told himself that if his brother couldn’t make it in basketball, he would do it for him and his family.
“It gave me more courage and strength,” said Keshad, the first in his family to graduate from college. “From then on, I knew I had to be strong for something bigger than myself.”
A few weeks later, while Kenny was still in the hospital, his middle school team was playing. To boost morale for the family, the coaches brought 10-year-old Keshad into the game just before halftime and gave him Kenny’s jersey. Keshad made a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
“One of the guys said, ‘Follow me,’ and set up a screen. I took a shot and it all went into the net,” recalled Keshad, who recently worked out with 14 teams, including the Knicks and Pacers. “Everything was in slow motion. It was like a real movie. It was a welcome moment to basketball. From then on, I started taking basketball seriously and going for it.”
Keshad started to develop over the next few years and developed into a three-star prospect. He attended San Diego State and helped the Aztecs reach the Final Four in 2023. Last season, he transferred to Arizona where he averaged career-highs of 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from the 3-point line. He wore his brother’s old number, 16.
“His professionalism and everyday attitude and character is just outstanding, and part of the reason is because he knows he represents something bigger than himself,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said.
The brothers were close and inspired each other. Kenny saw his brother work hard and it inspired him. A few years ago, he joined the wheelchair basketball team, the Golden State Road Warriors. That same weekend of the 2023 Final Four, Kenny’s team won the National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship.
Keshad was inspired by how his brother made the best of his situation and was determined to do the same for them both. Just as Keshad had to wait his turn at San Diego State (he didn’t start until his junior year), Kenny just recently broke into the Road Warriors’ starting rotation.
“It’s a symbiotic relationship,” said Howard Nasser, a close family friend.
Nasser never detected a hint of jealousy from Kenny that his brother was living the life he once dreamed of – Kenny proudly recalled never missing a game of his brother on television and frequently hosted viewing parties with family and friends.
In fact, when asked to recall that tragic day and how his life would have been different, Kenny said he would have been able to help Keshad more if he hadn’t had health issues, not that he might have played in the Final Four or heard his name called in the NBA draft.
“Everything is working out perfectly. It’s fate for our family. We’ve been through so much,” says Kenny, who now works as an after-school teacher at a local elementary school. “Oh, I’m so happy for my brother. Nothing that’s happened in my life or his can be undone. I’m so happy that he’s been able to achieve his dreams and travel and go to places he never thought he’d ever be able to go. I’m experiencing this through him.”
Keshad describes his life in one word: “blessed.” He feels blessed to be so close to being a professional. He feels blessed that his brother not only survived the shooting, but can walk again.
This will be a special week for the brothers. Expect them to shed some tears together. There are parties planned for both days of the draft.
“No matter which team drafts K. Johnson, there’s going to be a lot of emotions seeing that,” Keshad said.
