Spurs super sub Keldon Johnson hasn't let gash inside his mouth slow him down

Keldon Johnson’s season-high 14 points in the Spurs’ 130-103 dismantling of Sacramento came a week after he suffered a deep cut on the inside of his right cheek that required three stitches to close.

The 2026 NBA Sixth Man of the Year suffered the painful gash in a collision with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the season-opening loss to Oklahoma City.

“It was pretty painful, but we made it work,” Johnson said. “The Spurs doctors took care of me, got me some smoothies and stuff like that to make sure I can eat.”

Johnson also had four rebounds in 22 minutes Tuesday night.

Johnson’s teammates say his mouth laceration hasn’t slowed down his trademark non-stop chatter.

“I love KJ,” Devin Vassell said. “He’s still KJ no matter what. If he has broken ribs, broken bones, it don’t matter. He’s still the loudest one out here.”

Johnson also shook off the pain to do some some community work this week, participating in the RBFCU Spurs Youth Basketball League Clinic at CentroMed Health & Wellness Clinic on Monday.

“You got to love it,” Vassell said. 

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This article originally published at Spurs super sub Keldon Johnson hasn’t let gash inside his mouth slow him down.