On Monday morning, Utah Jazz were met by a surprising article. Their rebuild after trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell was spearheaded by their GM Justin Zanik. Zanik has done a wonderful job so far, leading the team to near playoff appearances while commanding a “tank”. However, an article by ESPN revealed that the GM was just recently diagnosed with kidney failure, and had to undergo a transplant.

“There are advantages to leading an NBA team. One is access to immediate medical evaluation and near immediate results. Justin set the physical for Sept. 28, 2023, with Jazz team physician David Petron. The Zaniks were celebrating Justin's birthday on Oct. 1, the eve of the training camp trip to Hawai'i, when the results landed with a call. “You're in kidney failure,” Dr. Petron told him.”

Zanik was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease. As the name implies, PKD is when a cluster of cysts form in a person's kidneys. Eventually, this mass causes the kidneys to stop functioning completely. PKD is genetic, so the Jazz GM likely inherited the disease from his father, who was similarly diagnosed before.

The Jazz GM was lucky enough to be able to find a donor to replace his kidney. It wasn't going to be easy: being a hereditary condition, Zanik's family was unlikely able to be suitable donors. In fact, Zanik's surgery is scheduled for April 2. Unfortunately, due to the disease being easily passed on, the GM's children were also similarly diagnosed.

Zanik's prognosis

As mentioned earlier, Zanik will be undergoing a kidney transplant on April 2. Transplants are often a tricky procedure: even with the right preparation, a body could simply just… not want the new organ. For that reason, the Jazz GM will be hospitalized for most of April, with him staying at home after being discharged.

“After the procedure Tuesday, Justin will be in the University of Utah's hospital for several days, and doctors will monitor how the kidney takes to his body over the coming weeks. He'll be home for most of April recuperating, but he'll be back running the front office sooner than later — and perhaps, he suspects, running even harder with a new kidney. That's what he has privately started to tell some of his closest friends around the league.”

After his recovery, every move the Jazz will make will still go through him. Zanik expects to be back in time this season to prepare for the NBA draft and the coming offseason. Zanik is pretty well-respected by his peers, and everyone seems to be wishing him well in his recovery.

Jazz's season

After nearly making it to the playoffs last season, the Jazz have come back down to earth. They are in 12th place in the West without a clear shot at the Play-In tournament. It's safe to say that this is a lost season for the team.

That being said… the Jazz are in a great spot for the future thanks to Zanik's efforts. With a boatload of picks and Lauri Markkanen in tow, they could potentially build a new dynasty in the future. We are praying for Justin Zanik's speedy recovery and we hope that his transplant goes well.