Scot Pollard, Former NBA Center, Underwent Heart Transplant After Donor Found

Former NBA center Scot Pollard, who has been in intensive care since Feb. 8, found a heart donor and underwent transplant surgery Friday.

The news was shared by Pollard's wife, Dawn Pollard, on X.

"Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one," Dawn Pollard wrote on Friday. "This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful."

Dawn Pollard added on her Instagram, "After a rollercoaster ride of emotions, a few offers of hearts that got our hopes up and down, they finally found THE ONE!!!"

Pollard needed a heart transplant due to a genetic condition causing heart stress, which was likely worsened by a virus in 2021, according to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press. Pollard's father, who died at age 54, suffered the same condition.

"It feels like I'm walking uphill all the time," Pollard said during a phone interview, per Golen.

"They all agree that more ablations isn't going to fix this, more medication isn't going to fix that," Pollard continued. "We need a transplant... It's out of my hands. It's not even in the doctor's hands. It's up to the donor networks."

His need for a donor was complicated by his height of 6-foot-11, which necessitated a larger donor in order to pump blood through his body, according to Golen.

"The fact is, that person's going to end up saving someone else's life. They're going to be a hero," Pollard said, per Golen. "That's how I look at it. I understand what has to happen for me to get what I need. So it's a real hard mix of emotions."

After eight days in intensive care, Pollard was matched with an eligible donor heart, according to his wife's posts.

Selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 19 pick of the 1997 NBA draft, Pollard played for the Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. He capped off his career after 506 regular-season and 60 playoff games by winning an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008.