Amid a battle with renal disease, former NBA player Nate Robinson has admitted he will not survive if he does not receive a kidney transplant.
But getting Robinson to go public with his need for a new kidney was a challenge for those around him. Fortunately, now that he has, Robinson has received thousands of offers for a new kidney, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“Tank Johnson again reached out, and this time Robinson gave his blessing. So, Johnson helped narrate a video that aired on the jumbotron during the University of Washington's spring football game in Seattle on May 3. In that video, viewers were directed to a university site where they could fill out a form to see if they were the right match for a kidney donation. A few days later, on May 6, the school tweeted out the same information. Soon after, on May 18, Crawford tweeted Johnson's video call to action, saying, “We need everyone with this one.” On the same day, Robinson shared the video to his Instagram.
Then, as hundreds of thousands of people wanting transplants do, he waited for a response.
About a week later, it arrived. Robinson was driving through Seattle when he received word from a friend who had been in touch with UW. The school had been inundated with offers from people willing to donate their kidneys.
“Thousands,” Robinson said.
Staring through the windshield, tears began to fall down his cheeks.”
While Nate Robinson is still dealing with health issues, he now hopes to have a new kidney within the next 6-12 months.
Nate Robinson dealt with kidney disease during NBA career
In 2006, not too long after the New York Knicks drafted him, Nate Robinson received the kidney disease diagnosis. But even with the diagnosis and Knicks team doctors trying to stop him from playing due to high blood pressure and having already felt the effects, Robinson shrugged them off and played through it all.
Coming in at 5-foot-9, Robinson quickly became a popular player thanks to his penchant for scoring, high effort level and highlight dunks.
That popularity reached a peak when Robinson won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest three times, first in 2006 then back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010.
The pint-sized point guard was a member of the Knicks in 2006 when he was informed that his high blood pressure had damaged his kidneys – and that'd he'd likely face kidney failure later in his life.
Robinson last played in the NBA for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015-16 season but continued his basketball career with stints for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, the G League's Delaware 87ers and Guaros de Lara in Venezuela.
Robinson's kidneys failed in 2018, which led to his retirement. A dialysis machine has helped him keep going since then.