Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock/US Presswire
Former big man for Baylor University and second-round prospect, Isaiah Austin, released on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with a career-ending medical condition.
During routine genetic testing done as part of the preparation before the 2014 NBA draft, it was revealed that Austin suffers from Marfan syndrome. At the NBA combine underwent his EKG test which revealed an abnormality, which prompted supplementary genetic tests in which the results turned out to be positive for Marfan syndrome.
Marfan syndrome is a condition that is caused by a genetic mutation which leads to problems in connective tissues throughout a person’s body which holds together all of the body’s cells, organs, and tissue. Marfan doesn’t target just one specific area, since tissue is found throughout the body.
While only one in 5,000 people suffer from Marfan, a life threatening feature of Marfan is the deadly aortic enlargement. In the past, athletes that haven’t been diagnosed with Marfan have died on the court. One of the most notable examples is the 1986 death of Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman.
The projected second round pick was also, if drafted, to be the first partially blind athlete to play in the NBA after becoming blind in his right eye as a teenager as a result of a detached retina.
“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.” Austin said to ESPN
While Isaiah Austin won’t get to hear his name called by an NBA team on Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has invited him to be his guest at the event.
