Nate Robinson was always the underdog who never backed down—on the court, he soared; off it, he fought a battle no spotlight could touch. Years of high blood pressure quietly stole his strength until both kidneys failed, forcing him into a world of dialysis and hospital beds. But even in the shadows, Nate held on. “It’s so hard to give up when you don’t know how to do it because you’ve never done it before,” he said. “I just never been a quitter.” In 2025, after years of unimaginable pain and resilience, Nate finally received a kidney transplant. But the process prior wasn’t exactly an easy nod from everyone.

No matter how much heart he had, there came a time when even Nate didn’t know if he’d live to see another birthday. “I remember staring at my reflection, wondering if the person looking back would still be there in a year,” he said. And that’s when something extraordinary happened. Help arrived—not from a single direction, but from a wave of humanity.

It started with Tank Johnson, a longtime friend, who helped narrate a deeply moving video that aired during the University of Washington’s spring football game, calling on the public to register as potential kidney donors. Thousands of people responded, all raising their hands to help someone they had only ever admired from afar. And among that sea of selflessness was Shane Cleveland. His kidney was a match. In that moment, he became more than a donor—he became the reason Nate could dream again.

Cleveland’s response was a reflection of the selflessness that guided his decision from the start: “It wasn’t a question of if I would help, just how soon I could.” But for his children, the decision wasn’t as clear-cut. Kara Cleveland, Shane’s wife, recalled how their kids struggled with the idea at first.”What if he’s not worth it? We don’t even know who this guy is. What if he’s not worth it? He’s going to take this great thing from this man I love so much, my dad, right?” she shared via Playmaker. To ease the doubts, they had one request: “I think we need to meet him beforehand.”

But what unfolded after that moment is nothing short of heartwarming.

The next morning, after the transplant had been successful, the Cleveland kids met Nate for the first time. The transformation was immediate. Nate, with tears in his eyes, delivered a heartfelt message to them: “Your dad saved my life. I’ve always wanted to be a grandpa. And you know what your dad did? He just gave me that gift. I’m going to be around to be a grandpa.“

Robinson has had one wish for years since his kindney disease diagnosis now: he wants to live years and decades more only to be a grandpa. He wants to watch his grandchildren grow and tell them stories from his time on the court, ones including LeBron and Kobe, too. If for nothing, it is that future he wanted to fight for. And Cleveland had helped him near that dream.

When the girls saw that, they were visibly moved. One of them even called Kara and asked, “Mom, please tell Nate I’m sorry. Tell Nate he’s worth it, Mom. Everybody is worth it. Everybody deserves a chance to have a life.” In that moment, everything came full circle—the hesitation, the uncertainty, all dissolved into something pure and beautiful.

Nate’s journey from uncertainty to hope was nothing short of transformative. When he first learned of his kidney disease, it felt like his world had shattered—but the moment he finally found his donor, everything changed.

The day Nate Robinson news of his kidney donor

Robinson’s journey with kidney disease began quietly, long before the public ever knew. It started back in 2006, during his time with the New York Knicks, when high blood pressure began quietly damaging his kidneys. At the time, Nate, ever the fighter, brushed off the warnings of doctors. “They used to tell me that we’re going to have to check your blood pressure, and if it’s too high, you can’t play in the game,” he recalled. But Nate was determined to play. He believed he was invincible until the harsh reality caught up with him.

Years later, after facing the struggles of renal failure and being on dialysis, a breakthrough came that Nate never saw coming. When he finally received the news that a kidney donor had been found, it was Christmas Day—”by far the best present I ever got in my life,” he said, tears streaming down his face. Overcome with emotion, Nate cried for three days straight, dropped to his knees, and thanked God.

“Some people don’t get to meet their guardian angels, but I got a brother in mine. He helped me out a lot, big time. I was struggling, and he came through in a clutch,” he said, referring to Shane, the man who gave him the gift of life. The weight of that moment—the feeling of being saved, of a second chance—was something Nate would carry with him forever, grateful beyond words.

Robinson’s entire life has been a fight against the odds. At just 5’9″, he was constantly doubted in a league built for giants, yet he made history by winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest three times—more than any other player. Off the court, his challenges didn’t ease up. From financial hardships to a quiet, years-long battle with kidney failure, Nate has always had to scrap harder than most just to stay standing.