Former Baylor star Isaiah Austin has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and will not be able to pursue a career in the NBA.
The 20-year-old Austin, who had been projected as a late first-round pick, underwent a standard physical at the NBA combine where his EKG test revealed an abnormality. After additional genetic tests, results came back positive for Marfan syndrome.
The recommendation was that Austin, who is 7 foot 1, quit playing basketball immediately.
“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.”
Austin’s mother, Lisa Green, drove through the night Friday from Kansas to Dallas to deliver the career-ending diagnosis in person. Friends and family, including Baylor coach Scott Drew and Austin’s high school coaches, gathered to tell him the news.
“While it’s extremely sad that he won’t be able to play in the NBA, our hope is that he’ll return to Baylor to complete his degree and serve as a coach in our program,” Drew said in a statement.
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.