Former Baylor star Isaiah Austin has been diagnosed with Marfan syndrome and has been told that he cannot continue his basketball career.
Austin released a statement concerning the news and went out of his way to thank everyone who has stood by him over his career.
"They said I wouldn't be able to play basketball anymore at a competitive level," Austin told ESPN's Holly Rowe. "They found the gene in my blood sample. They told me that my arteries in my heart are enlarged and that if I overwork myself and push too hard that my heart could rupture. The draft is four days away, and I had a dream that my name was going to be called."
"For all of my supporters, I just want to tell them sorry. I'm sorry they couldn't see me play in the NBA. But it's not the end; it's only the beginning.”
Austin was diagnosed with the condition after a standard physical at the NBA combine when the EKG spotted the abnormality. Austin was projected to be a late-first round pick and averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game in two years at Baylor.
Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue that holds all the body's cells, organs and tissue together. People with Marfan tend to be unusually tall, with long limbs and long, thin fingers which could be used to describe the 7-foot-1 Austin.
Here’s Holly Rowe’s gut-wrenching interview with Isaiah Austin on @SportsCenter https://t.co/fapkREgnmr
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 22, 2014
[ESPN]
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