Former NBA veteran Nate Robinson says he’s “not going to have long to live” if he can’t find a replacement for his kidney.
Robinson, who had an 11-year NBA career with eight different teams and last played in the league in 2015, told the Daily Mail Sports that he has been looking for a new kidney for the past four years because of a renal kidney failure diagnosis.
“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,” Robinson told the outlet. “I know I’m not going to have long to live. So I just want to make the best of it as much as I can.”
As a result, the former guard uses a dialysis machine, which he said is “helping my longevity and my life” and he would only live a “week or two” without it. Robinson added that he is thankful his body accepts the dialysis rather than rejects it.
“It’s serious, can’t miss a day. I go in for four hours, three days a week, four hours a day. And they clean my blood to get my toxins out. And they help me out a lot because that’s how I’m living,” Robinson said. “So I’m just enjoying the times where I do feel healthy. I try to get out there with my kids, see my family and play basketball, do the things that I love.”
A first-round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Washington, the 5-foot-9-inch guard played four-plus seasons with the New York Knicks before he bounced around the league.
He also played with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans. In his career, he averaged 11 points and three assists a game.
Despite his small size, Robinson is best known for his epic performances in the slam dunk contest, which he won a record three times. He played in the Big3 League In 2020 and competed in a boxing match against Jake Paul, which he lost.
First appeared on www.usatoday.com