Former NBA Star Nate Robinson Is Living With Kidney Failure

As the former NBA player is searching for a replacement kidney, he continues the fight to live by eating better.

In a game full of giants, when 5′ 9″ Nate Robinson made it to the NBA, he gave hope to others who may not fit the typical look expected from someone of his stature. His fight to make it to the pros is nothing like the fight he is currently having in trying to find a replacement kidney so he can continue living.

Robinson gave an extensive interview with Men’s Health detailing his most recent struggle: living with kidney failure. The 40-year-old former New York Knicks player shared that when he was playing NBA basketball (between 2005-15), he was doing so with high blood pressure, and team doctors tried to warn him of the dangers of not keeping his blood pressure in check. There were times when his pressure was so high that doctors tried to stop him from playing. But, instead of heeding the warning, his approach was to tell them to stop checking it because even if it was high, he was still going on the court to perform his duties.

The former guard was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2006. Doctors forewarned him that the kidneys would probably fail when he was in his 30s, yet he didn’t take care of himself in the way he was advised. Now, he is looking for a replacement kidney.

His mindset? “I felt like I was Superman. I never thought I would get sick.”

Things changed in 2018 when his kidneys failed. Yet, instead of taking care of them, he delayed treatment. In 2020, he caught COVID-19 while attending a basketball tournament his son was playing in Philadelphia.

“When I got back home to Seattle, I went straight to the hospital,” he said. “It was bad, bro. I was in the hospital for a week. My body, my insides just… stopped working and sh**.

“They told me I might as well start dialysis today. “‘Your kidneys are working too hard; they’re deteriorating as we speak. The only way you will walk out of here alive is if you start dialysis.’ It was the only thing I had left.”

Robinson goes through the routine of getting dialysis to do the job his kidneys can no longer do effectively. He has changed his diet; he has no processed or junk food and has nothing but fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean meat.

“What we eat can kill us. It could make you sick or healthy. The real fruit and veggies from the earth can heal you.”

The same fight that led him to make it to the NBA is the same mindset he has to live as the search continues for a replacement kidney.

“I gotta stick around. I want to stay alive for the next 40 years: be a grandpa, see my kids’ kids, take them to the gym, tell them the stories of when I was in the NBA around ’Bron and Kob’ and all these guys. I gotta fight for it.”