Scot Pollard, the former Kansas basketball star who went on to play 11 seasons in the NBA, has had a heart transplant, his wife said on social media Friday night.
Dawn Pollard initially posted that her husband had received a donor, then wrote later Friday that the surgery was successful.
“Scot has a new heart!” she wrote. “Surgery went well and I’ve been told the heart is big, powerful and is a perfect fit! Now on to the crucial part of recovery. Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers and support, but most of all, deepest thanks to the donor, our hero.”
Scot wanted me to let everyone know that the pre-heart transplant hair is gone, it’s go time! Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one. This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful❤️🩹 pic.twitter.com/OQRGDma5e6
— Dawn Pollard (@DawnMPollard) February 16, 2024
Scot has a new heart! Surgery went well and I’ve been told the heart is big, powerful and is a perfect fit! Now on to the crucial part of recovery. Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers and support, but most of all, deepest thanks to the donor, our hero. @ScotPollard31
— Dawn Pollard (@DawnMPollard) February 17, 2024
Pollard, who turned 49 on Monday, needed a transplant because of a genetic condition that was likely triggered by a virus he caught in 2021. The same condition killed his father, who died at 54.
Pollard’s size complicated efforts to find a donor with a heart big enough to fit his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body. He was admitted to intensive care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Feb. 7.
“I’m staying here until I get a heart,” he said in a text message to The Associated Press from his Nashville, Tennessee, hospital room. “My heart got weaker. [Doctors] agree this is my best shot at getting a heart quicker.”
A 1997 first-round draft pick after helping Kansas reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in four straight seasons, Pollard was a useful big man off the bench for much of an NBA career that stretched over 11 years and five teams. He played 55 seconds in the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ trip to the NBA Finals in 2007, and won it all the following year with the Celtics despite a season-ending ankle injury in February.
He also played for Detroit, Sacramento and Indiana, averaging 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 506 career games (99 starts).
After retirement, Pollard dabbled in broadcasting and acting. He was a contestant on the 32nd season of “Survivor,” where he was voted out on Day 27 with eight castaways remaining.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
