Nate Robinson has finally received a new kidney. The ex-NBA player recently hopped on social media to thank his donor, Shane Cleveland, for saving his life.
“This man literally saved my life by giving me is kidney !!!” Robinson wrote. “Hey Shane just wanna let you know we are family now & you’re stuck with me.
“Y'all ever heard of family at 1st sight b/c that’s what we are,” Robinson continued. “Big ups to the University of Washington & all the doctors that took great care of us.”
In the comments under his post, Cleveland responded with, “You are so deserving Nate, and I am proud to be a part of this with you. We both have beautiful families supporting us, and great care at UWMC. Let’s go!”
Robinson plans to celebrate his new kidney by watching the Super Bowl with Cleveland. His agent, Polo Kerber, told CNN, “He’s already feeling [and] looking a lot better. He walked around the hospital a bit today and is planning on watching the Super Bowl at the hospital with his donor.”
Previously, Robinson revealed that he learned 20 years ago that he’d need a kidney transplant one day.
“I was just trying to enjoy my time when I was in the league, play it as long as I could,” Robinson said in a 2022 documentary. “I just tried to lock it down deep and just live my life and play, just enjoy the time that I had in the NBA. I was like, ‘Man, I’m not going to let this stop me from playing and doing what I do.’”
In 2021, Robinson discovered that his kidneys were failing and began taking weekly dialysis treatments. The following year, he went public about his condition and later announced that he needed a kidney donor.
“Later on in life, when I get a kidney, I’m going to be looking back, like, ‘Damn, I really went through all this.’ That kidney I get, I’m going to cherish it,” he told ESPN last year about the long waiting period to receive a kidney. "I’m going to treat it like a baby. I’m going to do everything I’m supposed to do.”
Back then, Robinson revealed that his alma mater, the University of Washington, was inundated with offers from people who were willing to donate a kidney to Robinson. After undergoing a series of procedures, the number of potential donors was whittled down until an ideal match was found.