Basketball Game Raises Awareness For Organ, Tissue Donation

The players certainly didn’t look like the Kings. For one, they were shorter. There were women and men, and kids and white-haired guys.

Doctors, organ donors and recipients play a scrimmage game to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

It might have been the doctors and donors’ first time on the professional basketball court, but they quickly earned cheers.

Dr. Kevin Anderson could have played for either side – he’s a urologist who also received a new heart from a donor.

“I put a little tattoo on my shoulder which represents the pink dot that we see on our driver’s license, the pink dot that says donor," Anderson said. "So we want everyone to have the little pink dot. It’s so easy to do, and it makes such a big difference to people like me.” 

Doctors, organ donors and recipients play a scrimmage game to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

The game had more comraderie than competition. There were passes, steals, and there were a lot of missed baskets. 

Doctors, organ donors and recipients play a scrimmage game to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

Sacramento Kings’ VP of ticket sales and service Phil Horn was on the donor team.

"My teammates had a great game, it was great to see the folks out there that had had double lung transplants and heart transplants, get out there and run a full length NBA court and actually hit jump shots, and dive on the floor after rebounds," said Horn.

Horn himself donated a kidney to his wife just last October.

“It was really painless for what it was, having an organ removed," he said. "It took me about three weeks to recover and I was back here on opening night.”