Original Old School: The Comeback Kid

Sean Elliot means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To Alonzo Mourning, a man who suffered from a similar kidney ailment, Elliot served as an inspiration, providing hope of return where none existed before. To the Portland Trail Blazers, victims of his “Memorial Day Miracle,” Sean was a ball player, and a clutch one at that. To fans of the Spurs, Elliot was the starting small forward on a championship team. Now retired and working in the broadcast booth, Sean is the voice of the Spurs, and still stands as a testament to modern medicine and resiliency. He is still a miracle at work.—Tzvi Twersky by Alan Paul Sean Elliott will always be remembered as the first professional athlete to return to action following an organ transplant. On the one hand, that’s how it should be; few of us will ever comprehend the effort it took to return to the Spurs in 2000, less than a year after his older brother Noel donated a kidney that saved Elliott’s life. On the other hand,...