Former NBA Player Nate Robinson Has Successful Kidney Transplant, Shares Emotional Posts With Donor

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In April 2024, former NBA player Nate Robinson revealed that he was in need of a kidney transplant, having dealt with renal failure for several years and receiving dialysis since 2021. The day Robinson had been waiting on for quite some time came this past Friday as he shared that he underwent a successful transplant.

Robinson, 40, shared the great news on Instagram in an emotional post alongside his donor, Shane Cleveland.

"This man literally saved my life by giving me his kidney !!! Hey Shane just wanna let you know we are family now & you’re stuck with me , yall ever heard of family at 1st sight b/c thats what we are," Robinson wrote in the caption.

Cleveland has shared multiple posts on his own Instagram following the transplant as well, calling Robinson "my new brother." He also shared a powerful photo of himself hugging Robinson's mother while joking that he has another mom to answer to now. 

After revealing last year that he was in need of a new kidney, Robinson opened up about just how fearful he was, not only about the operation but for the donor given the severity of the life-altering procedure.

I gotta stick around. I want to stay alive for the next 40 years: be a grandpa, see my kids’ kids, take them to the gym, tell them the stories of when I was in the NBA around [LeBron James] and [Kobe Bryant] and all these guys. I gotta fight for it," he told the outlet.

"We both got to go under the knife, and a lot of people don’t make it," Robinson said. "I would hate for somebody to give me that kidney and die to go through this. That would hurt me so much. For someone to have to die for me to live."

Robinson played in more than 600 games during his NBA career and won the NBA Slamu Dunk contest on three different occasions. He last played in the league during the 2015-16 season with the New Orleans Pelicans and later spent time in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets, including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016, when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.