When former Knicks star Nate Robinson sat down on the “Sitting Down” show, it wasn’t to talk about basketball highlights or buzzer-beaters. It was deeper than that. Nate opened up about his years-long health battle, which most fans had no idea about. It was about his silent fight with kidney failure that nearly took his life. “I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “People see me smile, but they don’t know what I’ve been carrying,”

Nate Robinson first learned something was wrong when he was just 21, early in his NBA career. “One day I wasn’t at practice, and that was weird because I was always first one in, last to leave,” he said. Feeling sick, he called the team rep, but no one believed him at first. “They thought I was joking, because I was always pulling pranks,” he admitted. But when he showed up to the facility, throwing up out of his car, everyone knew it was serious. Doctors ran tests, and a specialist, Dr. Callahan, found his kidneys were not functioning properly. “She told me, ‘By your late 30s, your kidneys are going to fail.’”

Years of silence were broken when my condition took a turn for the worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I caught COVID flying from Philly and got real sick,” Nate said. “That’s when my kidneys failed.” Fast forward to today, and Nate Robinson is finally on the road post-recovery, having undergone a successful transplant. “Recovery was cool,” he said, “but it was tough in the beginning. They put the kidney in my stomach, right next to my bladder, so it felt super tight.” For weeks, just walking was a challenge for him. “It was painful, man. I felt weak. Couldn’t do anything.”

Now, he’s finally moving again. “I got cleared about two weeks ago,” Nate Robinson shared, smiling. “I’ve been in the gym every day from 6 to 8 a.m. because I missed it so much.” After four years of being in constraints, he’s slowly getting his strength back. “I lost a lot of muscle, got a little skinny,” he said. “But I’m getting it all back. Muscle memory’s real.” The gym isn’t just a place to work out  for Nate Robinson, it’s where he feels alive again.

The feeling of rebirth and a new opportunity has ignited a greater purpose in Nate Robinson. It was not about getting strong, it was about doing the things he missed out on doing for four years. He gained perspective during his time away, realizing this comeback marks a launch, not a conclusion. With each early morning workout and every small victory, he’s rebuilding more than his health, he’s rebuilding his purpose. And that’s exactly where his next big dreams start to come into focus.

Nate Robinson’s Recovery: Second Chance for Dreams

Nate’s comeback isn’t just about weights and workouts. His dreams go beyond the court now. “I want to get into coaching, of course, helping my daughter,” he said with a smile. “I want to get back in shape. That’s a big thing for me.”

And with this, he means business, literally and figuratively. “I want to look better than my kids when I’m 40,” he laughed. But there’s more to it than vanity. He’s aiming for something lasting. Something that lets him stay connected to the game he loves.

He’s also got his eye on TV. In the past, he talked about his dreams of being on TV like the other big-time NBA Stars. “I want to get back doing my TV thing where I let the fans get a glimpse of my next 10 to 20 years,” he said. Inspired by legends like Jamal Crawford and Isiah Thomas, Nate Robinson is looking at a future filled with mentorship and media. Maybe it’s coaching high school. Maybe it’s running his own show. Whatever it is, he’s all in.

Now that the hardest part is behind him, Robinson is free to dream again. He’s got a second chance, and he’s grabbing it with both hands. Not everyone gets a second chance in life, implied Nate Robinson. And he’s right. But now that he has it, he’s not letting go.