Ex-Knick Nate Robinson Wants to Coach But First He Needs Kidney Donor

Getty Nate Robinson #2 of the New York Knicks attempts a dunk during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday Night, part of 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Former New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson dreams of coaching in the NBA someday. But that would remain just a dream if he could not find a kidney donor.

“I want to get into coaching,” Robinson told Heavy Sports on Tuesday, April 9, in a media availability courtesy of bet365. [But] I want to get a kidney first.”

Two years since going public about his ongoing battle against renal kidney failure, the 39-year-old Robinson still has not found a donor. Extending his life for a few more years is now at the mercy of dialysis while still waiting for that elusive kidney replacement.

According to clevelandclinic.org, the average life expectancy is five to 10 years for a kidney patient on dialysis, 12 to 20 years if the patient receives a kidney from a living donor and eight to 12 years if the kidney comes from a deceased donor.

Nate Robinson’s Battle Started in New York

Robinson first came to know about his future life battle in 2006 when Knicks team doctor, Dr. Lisa Callahan, found his blood pressure to be pretty high.

“She said it’s going to be probably in [my] late 30s that [my] kidneys are going to just deteriorate over time,” Robinson said on “Playmaker” podcast in 2022.

The 5-foot-9 guard revealed there were times he got sick and just threw up.

“I couldn’t control what was going on,” Robinson said.

‘You’ll Die for Knicks Fans’

Robinson kept dealing with his emerging health issue while he was entering his prime years. He became a fan-favorite at The Garden and reached his peak, averaging a career-high 17.2 points during the 2008-09 season.

“When I was in New York, the fans were hard on us, because they wanted us to win. And I understood that. And I wanted to win too, for the fans,” Robinson told Heavy Sports. “Because they were just, when you’re a diehard Knick fan, it’s known.

Everything in the city is Knicks, Knicks, Knicks. And fans have been fans since their fathers and their fathers before them. It’s like a generational type fan base. There’s no bandwagon stuff and they embrace you, they adopt you in as family when you’re a part of the Knicks.”

Underdog Story

A Seattle native, Robinson was embraced by Knicks fans as this diminutive guard who played bigger than his size.

New York always loves the underdog story.

Robinson arrived in New York via draft day trade with Quentin Richardson in 2005 for veteran Kurt Thomas.

“When I went to the Garden and played my first game, I remember just the fans and being in the Mecca and being in just New York City, the city that never sleeps, it brings something out of you,” Robinson told Heavy Sports. “It makes you feel like a superhero.

You be out there playing, and it’s just straight fun. Like, you’ll die for that stuff. You’ll die for those fans. You’ll die for that, for a win, to go to the playoffs and to get a championship. And that’s something that we put on the line. We put our lives on the line, and it was awesome. What a great feeling to be a Knick.”

Unfortunately for Robinson, save for his three Slam Dunk titles, they never won anything as the Knicks missed the playoffs during his five-year run with them.

Coaching Can Wait

The 11-year NBA veteran has been leaning on his family for strength.

Coaching can wait.

For now, Robinson is content being his kids’ trainer and first and foremost, being their father.

“It’s coming along,” Robinson shared about the battle against renal kidney failure. “It’s getting better. Every day is a struggle, but every day, it’s a blessing that I get to open my eyes and do interviews like this. But just being a dad, enjoying my kids, training my kids. I go to training with my kids later today, with my son and daughter. So as long as I’m getting to the gym with them, helping them to prepare them for their future, that’s all that matters.”