Former Kansas and NBA center Scot Pollard receives successful heart transplant after difficult donor search
Former Kansas and NBA big man Scot Pollard underwent successful heart transplant surgery Friday, his wife announced via social media.
Pollard was admitted to the intensive care unit last week as he awaited a donor. The search to find a match for his 6-foot-11 size was difficult, as the organ needed to be strong and large enough to pump blood through his entire body.
"I’ve been told the heart is big, powerful and is a perfect fit! Now on to the crucial part of recovery," Dawn Pollard wrote on X. "Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers and support, but most of all, deepest thanks to the donor, our hero."
The good news came after days of updates from Dawn, who shared photos with her husband of more than 20 years as they celebrated Valentine's Day and Pollard's 49th birthday and watched the Super Bowl at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.
During his playing career, Pollard was known for sporting unique hairstyles and facial hair designs on the court. His surgery was completed less than six hours after his wife announced that she was shaving his beard in preparation for the procedure.
“Scot wanted me to let everyone know that the pre-heart transplant hair is gone, it’s go time!” Dawn wrote.
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
His heart had been beating an extra 10,000 times per day due to a genetic condition he said was triggered by a virus he contracted several years ago. In a local TV interview, Pollard joked that he was allergic to the flu shot because he fell severely ill each time he received it. He shares the genetic condition with multiple members of his immediate family, including his father, who died at 54 years old when Pollard was 16.
Pollard publicly disclosed his condition for the first time last month, when he spoke to multiple media outlets about the process of listing himself at transplant centers. He opened up about previous treatment attempts with multiple medications, procedures and even a pacemaker. None of those options presented a solution, and he was hospitalized Feb. 7 in Tennessee.
A breakout star at Kansas from 1993 to '97, Pollard was selected by the Detroit Pistons as the 19th overall pick of the 1997 NBA Draft. He was a fan favorite for the Sacramento Kings from 1999 to 2003, reaching the Western Conference finals with the team in '02. He also made stops with the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, retiring after he won an NBA title with the Celtics in '08.
Pollard then made multiple on-screen appearances in broadcasting, acting and reality television. Most notably, he was a contestant on the 32nd season of “Survivor.”
