Former NBA Star Nate Robinson Says He “Doesn’t Have Long To Live” After Revealing His Scary Medical Condition

Nate Robinson runs onto the court for a Big3 game.Nate Robinson (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images for BIG3)
Former NBA star Nate Robinson has admitted that he “doesn’t have long to live” should he not find a new kidney soon.

Robinson, who played for eight NBA teams and won the Slam Dunk Contest on three occasions, revealed he was diagnosed with renal kidney failure two years ago and has been searching for a replacement for four years now.

According to the Daily Mail, the 11-year NBA vet would only survive for a week or two if not for a dialysis machine.

“I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney,” he told the publication this week. “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.“

Robinson, who says he’s fortunate to have a body that does not reject dialysis, disclosed he has treatment three times a week for four hours a day and can’t afford to miss a single session.

“Some people’s body reject dialysis,” he pointed out. “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 39-year-old also shared that he often goes through painful vomiting spells that leave him hospitalized for a day or two, but he’s trying to remain positive as best he can and spends time doing the things he enjoys.

Nate Robinson Knew He Would Have Problems A Long Time Ago

Nate Robinson learned of his kidney issues a long time ago. He was playing for the New York Knicks in 2006 when he was told that high blood pressure had damaged his kidneys and he was likely to experience kidney failure later on in life.

He still went on to have a great career in the NBA, scoring 6,807 points and winning the dunk contest a record three times before his final season in the league in 2015.

Nate is just happy to be alive now.

“Because some people, they go in for kidneys,” he said, “go into the hospital, and they never come out.”