‘Finally found the one’: Former King Scot Pollard receives heart transplant

(FOX40.COM) — After waiting over a week in the hospital, former Sacramento Kings player Scot Pollard has received a heart transplant.

“He’s going to be in the OR (operation room) for another few hours but they are nearing the end of the surgery. Recovery is going to be crucial. This is just the beginning,” said Dawn Pollard, Scot’s wife, to FOX40.com.

“Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one,” she continued. “This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful.” 

Scot Pollard, who played five of his 11 NBA seasons in Sacramento, announced on Feb. 8 that he was admitted to a hospital in the intensive care unit until there is a donor who is a match. 

The former Kings big man, who stands at 6 feet and 11 inches tall, took multiple trips to the doctor for appointments before being admitted by medical staff. Pollard was admitted to the ICU following a test that determined he should stay and wait at the hospital for his heart. 

“Our family has been inundated with a lot of love and support, messages, and people praying for us,” Pollard said on his X account on Feb. 8. “We appreciate it. I’m here at the Vanderbilt Hospital. I have the best in the world watching after me.”

Pollard was diagnosed with a heart disease in March 2021 and remained quiet about his diagnosis until January when he revealed it publicly with a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

He told FOX40 Sports’ Sean Cunningham that discussions of a heart transplant began in September after months of medication being unsuccessful.

“I kept quiet for the most part because I was thinking I was going to get better,” Pollard said in the interview. “I kept thinking my heart would heal, the meds were going to work, the procedures were going to work and they’re not. Nothing is working.” 

Pollard played for the Kings from 1999 to 2003 playing at the center and power forward positions. Before getting traded to Sacramento, Pollard played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks and was later drafted into the NBA by the Detroit Pistons. 

He also played for the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics and later retired in 2008. 

After his playing days, Pollard was a contestant on “Survivor” during the series’ 32nd season in 2016.