NBA Veteran Nate Robinson Reveals He’s Fight Kidney Failure

Nate Robinson – Source: Cooper Neill / Getty

NBA Veteran Nate Robinson opens up about his battle with Kidney failure and reveals he attends dialysis three times a week while awaiting a donor.

Former NBA player Nate Robinson has always been fairly private but recently decided to let us inside his life and for good reason. Robinson revealed he has been battling Kidney failure for over four years. Furthermore, he has battled kidney disease for 16 years. According to Kidney.org, while playing for the Knicks in 2006 he learned he had high blood pressure and it had already damaged his kidneys.

“They used to tell me that we’re going to have to check your blood pressure and if your blood pressure is too high, you can’t play in the game. I used to tell them, ‘don’t check my blood pressure because I am playing regardless of what you say’,” said Robinson. “I thought I was young and invincible. I didn’t know it was going to catch up to me.”

In 2018 his kidneys would be the reason he ended his NBA career something he knew would happen one day but still shocked him. After 11 seasons the sport he loved would no longer be the main focus of his daily life.

“It was shocking to hear that at some point, some time, my kidneys were going to go,” Robinson said. “I wanted to enjoy my time in the league and play for as long as I could. I tried to keep it [the diagnosis] deep down, live my life, and enjoy the time I had in the NBA. I was not going to let that stop me from playing and doing what I do.”

Nate revealed toward the end of his career his health was like a roller coaster with some days going better than others. Currently, he is attending dialysis three times a week for several hours. According to HoopsHype, Nate is still looking for a kidney while remaining positive and living the best he can.

My journey, man, every day, one day at a time. It’s difficult, but at the same time, I love a challenge. So every day is a new day for me. I just try to walk right with God. I just try to ask Him to give me the strength to be able to get through what I’m going through. I’m still looking for a kidney to this day. I go through dialysis three times a week for four hours. They clean my blood, they clean all my toxins out of my body, and I’m feeling better and better every day. Some days are worse than others, but I’m just blessed and I’m just happy that I can still be here to see my children and do the things that I love to do. So, it’s been rough but it’s been a great journey, great roller coaster.

If you’ve seen a loved one fight kidney failure and attend dialysis you know it isn’t an easy task. It’s painful to watch and kidney donors are hard to find. Hopefully, Nate can win this fight soon and put this battle behind him.