“The other day this woman was walking. Now she is in a wheelchair. You have to recognize when you are lucky. Because, for some people, everything does not go as planned. It is sad. I wish I could help them feel better. There is also a man who is there: before being in a wheelchair, he walked, and he no longer speaks. That's crazy. I thank God every day. Because just looking at it is hard. »
Nate Robinson recounted this in a long article for the site Men's Health. And it is no coincidence that it is in this media that he develops his daily life since we have known, for two years, that he has suffered from kidney failure since 2018 and is still waiting for a kidney transplant. Its survival depends on it.
“I felt like Superman. I didn't think I could be sick.”
This is a story that dates back to exactly 2006. That year, he was diagnosed with health problems. The former New York player then had to spend a few days in the hospital to recover from periods of dehydration and vomiting. However, the Knicks doctors had warned him: his high blood pressure would end up playing tricks on him. “I felt like Superman. I didn't think I could be sick.”he remembers.
How can I blame him? Despite his small size (1m75), the playmaker had made his place in the NBA, the best league in the world, notably achieving a season averaging 17.2 points in 2008/09 then winning the dunk contest three times (2006 , 2009, 2010).
But after 618 matches in the NBA, in 2018, illness caught up with him. His kidneys were failing him, and after spending a week in care, he had to start dialysis immediately. “My kidneys were working too hard and were deteriorating. The only way out, to stay alive, was to start dialysis. It was the only thing I had left. »
For six years, his kidneys have only functioned at 15% of their optimal capacity. And if dialysis is currently saving his life, it is not an easy path either: he can sometimes suffer from cramps throughout the body, or violent vomiting and shortness of breath. He is therefore waiting for a transplant, hoping to soon and quickly be placed on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in Washington State, then throughout the country.
“Tell my grandchildren that I played in the NBA with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant”
“In the family, among friends, or at a fan’s house”, he lists, mentioning where his future donor could be.. “I even have nightmares about it. It's frightening. I would hate for someone to give me a kidney and die because of it. It would hurt me so much if someone had to die for me to live. I don't know if I'm ready for this. In my dreams, my family members give me a kidney and they all die. It destroys me. »
A guilt reminiscent of that of Scot Pollard, who had a heart transplant earlier this year. “I realize what needs to happen for me to get what I need. So it’s a very difficult mix of emotions to manage,” explained the former Kings interior, who has since promoted organ donation.
Even though his situation is not ideal, the transplant is long overdue and may never even arrive, Nate Robinson is learning to see things on the bright side.
“There are people who have diabetes, who are blind or have pockets for urinating. Overall, I'm in good health.”he judges, before imagining himself in the future. “I'm enjoying every second, I'm like a kid at Disneyland, I have to hold on. I want to stay alive for the next forty years, become a grandfather and tell my grandchildren that I played in the NBA with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. »
And to conclude: “I have to fight for this. I have to witness for the people. My story does not end here. »
| Nate Robinson | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2005-06 | NYK | 72 | 21 | 40.7 | 39.7 | 75.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 9.3 |
| 2006-07 | NYK | 64 | 21 | 43.4 | 39.0 | 77.7 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 10.1 |
| 2007-08 | NYK | 72 | 26 | 42.3 | 33.2 | 78.6 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 12.7 |
| 2008-09 | NYK | 74 | 30 | 43.7 | 32.5 | 84.1 | 1.3 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 17.2 |
| 2009-10 * | All Teams | 56 | 20 | 43.6 | 39.0 | 74.6 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 10.1 |
| 2009-10 * | NYK | 30 | 24 | 45.2 | 37.5 | 77.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 13.2 |
| 2009-10 * | BOS | 26 | 15 | 40.1 | 41.4 | 61.5 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| 2010-11 * | All Teams | 59 | 17 | 39.9 | 32.5 | 81.8 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| 2010-11 * | BOS | 55 | 18 | 40.4 | 32.8 | 82.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 7.1 |
| 2010-11 * | OKAY | 4 | 8 | 26.7 | 25.0 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 3.3 |
| 2011-12 | GOS | 51 | 23 | 42.4 | 36.5 | 83.2 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 11.2 |
| 2012-13 | CHI | 82 | 25 | 43.3 | 40.5 | 79.9 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 13.1 |
| 2013-14 | DEN | 44 | 20 | 42.8 | 37.7 | 83.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 10.4 |
| 2014-15 * | All Teams | 42 | 14 | 34.5 | 27.7 | 67.4 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.7 |
| 2014-15 * | DEN | 33 | 14 | 34.8 | 26.1 | 65.0 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.8 |
| 2014-15 * | LAKE | 9 | 14 | 33.3 | 35.0 | 83.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 5.1 |
| 2015-16 | NOP | 2 | 12 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Total | 618 | 23 | 42.3 | 36.0 | 79.6 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 11.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
