Jazz GM Justin Zanik to Undergo Surgery for Kidney Transplant on Tuesday

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik is due to undergo a kidney transplant Tuesday.

In an interview posted by the team, Zanik said he had a physical months ago that flagged the fact that his kidney function was at 14 percent. He has a family history of kidney problems, with his father having a transplant almost 21 years ago.

Zanik said he's expecting to be out of the hospital three to four days after his surgery and that he could resume his full duties in three weeks.

The Utah Jazz shared a statement Monday:

"The Utah Jazz send our love and support to general manager Justin Zanik, his wife Gina, and their family as Justin prepares for a kidney transplant to address polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disorder that affects kidney function. JZ is an instrumental part of our organization, and we look forward to his return in the coming weeks."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski profiled Zanik, detailing his story and the process that led him to finding a kidney donor. In order to expedite the process, the veteran executive reached out to family, close friends and acquaintances to see if he could find a match.

"I'm a fixer by nature," he said. "My job with the Jazz, my role with my family—I mean, I was a [player] agent for 15 years. I fixed a lot of s--t. I'm the one who's supposed to help. I'm the one who's supposed to take care of everything. I really didn't know how to ask for help, but I had to get over it."

According to Sarah Todd of Deseret News, around 20 people went through the initial screening process and Jeff Hart was singled out as a candidate for donation. Hart is the husband to the best friend of Gina Zanik, Justin's wife. He will donate one of his kidneys Friday, and his involvement allowed Zanik to move up the donor list.

Zanik said his recovery timeline will have him back in his GM role well ahead of the NBA draft and the start of free agency in late June.