IN THE FALL of 2005, Robinson stopped by a doctor’s office at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Midtown Manhattan. He was 21, a rookie for the New York Knicks, who had just been drafted 21st overall by the University of Washington. He was there to do physical activity. The Knicks team doctor was a woman named Lisa Callahan. Standing 5-foot-2, most players who auditioned needed to sit down to make eye contact, but Robinson, 5-foot-9, didn’t have to sit at all. She quickly fell in love with the Seattle native, who is known as a jokester. During the first physical, Callahan noticed Robinson’s blood pressure was higher than normal — nothing to worry about, he told her, but something to look out for. High blood pressure, he knew, was common among Black people. Robinson passed and began his NBA career. Later that season, in the spring of 2006, Robinson woke up one morning feeling as nauseous as ever. He didn’t know why. Throughout his life, he was healthy. He had never missed a day of school. He never missed a practice. But, that day, he felt sicker than at any time in his life. He was worried he wouldn’t make it to the Knicks’ practice. “Stop playing, bro,” said his teammate. “He’s a rookie. You can’t be late.” “I’m sick,” said Robinson. “I’m not lying.” -via ESPN / July 16, 2024
Source link
