Heart Disease Forces Premature Retirement For Cuttino Mobley

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Retirement

The “Associated Press” reported Thursday that New York Knicks veteran guard Cuttino Mobley has announced his retirement due to heart disease. Mobley has heeded the advice of doctors retiring from the Association so that he can live a long and productive life.

The eleven year veteran has a disease known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy the same ailment that claimed the lives of Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis, and Hank Gathers who played for Loyola Marymount. The disease causes the muscles of the heart to thicken, which makes it harder for it to pump blood. Doctors told him that to keep on playing would cause the disease to accelerate, forcing him to end his career.

Mobley told reporters Thursday “The specialists I’ve seen made it clear that my heart condition has gotten worse and I couldn’t continue to play professional basketball without putting my health and life in serious danger. As much as I want to keep playing in the NBA, I have no choice but to follow the advice of my doctors and step away from the league.”

Ironically the condition came to light during a physical he underwent after he was traded last month to the Knicks from the Los Angeles Clippers, in the deal that sent Zach Randolph to the Clippers. The veteran played from 1998 through 2004 with the Houston Rockets, he also had a stint with Sacramento and Orlando, before joining the Clippers for the 2005-2006 campaign.

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