Nate Robinson, the NBA’s unforgettable triple-time slam dunk champion, is now waging an altogether different battle off the court.
Announcing his ongoing struggle with kidney failure, Robinson has channelized his fighting spirit toward a new kind of championship.
Ex-NBA star Nate Robinson: ‘Hopefully somebody’s healthy enough to give me a kidney’ https://t.co/tknQWbQNI5 pic.twitter.com/bWE4nC154q
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 11, 2024
For the past six years, he has been dealing with this health challenge, courageously and also quietly for four of those.
“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,” Robinson said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “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.”
However, in light of recent events, he has chosen to make his journey public.
It was during the MPB All-Star weekend that Nate Robinson, while serving as AT&T Chief Dunk Officer, shared some of his most personal experiences over the past couple of years.
“I can’t quit this…” Nate Robinson on his health 🙏
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/rVgZamV3oU pic.twitter.com/XN3ppKIMrp
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) April 10, 2024
Inspired by his own journey, he decided to publicize his diagnosis, effectively becoming a voice for others navigating the same difficult path.
11-year NBA veteran Nate Robinson – a three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion – announces he is battling renal kidney failure and is undergoing treatment. 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/VICvjXOW7k
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 16, 2022
With a primary focus on health, Robinson has been trying to maintain normalcy. Despite the unpleasant side effects of dialysis, including occasional hospital stays, the NBA star is thankful for the treatment, staying relentlessly optimistic.
“Some people’s body reject dialysis. And thank God that mine accepts it and I can live…” Robinson told the Daily Mail. “If I didn’t go to dialysis, I wouldn’t live probably longer than a week or two. So 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’s popularity has long been established since his dynamic career in NBA. Starting with the New York Knicks and later playing for eight different franchises, his skills on the court resulted in not one, but three NBA Slam Dunk Championships (2006, 2009, and 2010 respectively).
Apart from his on-field prowess, Robinson has demonstrated his off-field talents, penning a book titled “Heart Over Height” and dabbling in acting as well as boxing.
