NBA journeyman Nate Robinson has revealed that his life’s at risk as he searches for a kidney donor.
The former three-time Slam Dunk contest champion was undergoing treatment for renal kidney failure in October of 2022 – something he had been dealing with for four years.
“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,” Robinson told 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.
“Some people’s body reject dialysis. And thank God that mine accepts it and I can live … 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.”
The 11-season NBA vet revealed that he has been hospitalized at times due to painful vomiting and until he is able to find a transplant, he does dialysis three times a week, for four hours at a time.
“The [dialysis] machine has been helping my longevity and my life right now,” 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.
“And I still try to do all the things that I can to stay and feel normal as I can, stay as human as I can.”
Robinson explained that he’s cut out unhealthy foods and is eating a clean diet to try and extend his life.
“I changed my diet, just try to eat better, staying away from a lot of processed foods, just trying to eat fruits and grilled food, grilled chicken and grilled fish, just healthier stuff, that’s the way I can survive and stay alive as long as I can.”
The guard recorded 6,807 points, 1,826 assists and 1,446 rebounds in 618 regular-season games during a career that saw him play for the Knicks, Bulls, Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Thunder and Pelicans.
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