NBA champion, 'Survivor' contestant Scot Pollard receives heart transplant

FILE – Former Sacramento Kings player Scot Pollard signs an autograph during the half time of the Kings NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Saturday, April 9, 2016, in Sacramento, Calif. NBA champion and “Survivor” contestant Scot Pollard has had a heart transplant, his wife said on social media on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

NBA champion and “Survivor” contestant Scot Pollard has had a heart transplant, his wife said on social media on Friday night.

“Scot has a new heart!” Dawn Pollard posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “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.”

Pollard, who turned 49 on Monday, needed a transplant because of damage to his heart from a virus he caught in 2021 that likely triggered a genetic condition he has known about since it killed his father at 54, when Scot was 16. Pollard’s size complicated efforts to find a donor with a heart big enough to fit his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body.

FILE – Indiana Pacers center Scot Pollard reacts as time runs out in the Pacers’ 96-87 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Thursday, March 3, 2005 in Denver. Pollard was admitted to intensive care this week, where he waits for a heart transplant. He was admitted to intensive care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 and he will wait there until a donor surfaces who was big enough to be a match. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Earlier Friday, Dawn Pollard posted that a heart had been found.

“It’s go time!” she posted on X. “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.”

Pollard was a 1997 first-round draft pick after helping Kansas reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in four straight seasons. He 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 Boston Celtics despite a season-ending ankle injury in February.

FILE – Boston Celtics center Scot Pollard smiles while facing reporters during a news conference held to introduce the newly signed player at the team’s headquarters, in Boston, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. Pollard needs a heart transplant and the already dire predicament is made more difficult by the fact so few donors can provide him with a pump big and strong enough to supply blood to his body. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Pollard retired after that season, then 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.

Pollard went public with his condition last month and began the process of listing himself at transplant centers. 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 hospital room in Nashville, Tennessee. “My heart got weaker. (Doctors) agree this is my best shot at getting a heart quicker.”

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