Miami Heat general manager Andy Elisburg says a widespread infection nearly sidelined him for good, forcing him to announce the club’s 2025 first-round pick from a high-tech wheelchair rather than the usual draft room.
Elisburg spoke with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the ordeal, which began late in the 2024/25 season when he noticed unusual fatigue. The situation escalated after the season ended, he said, when he woke up unable to move his left leg.
“I was a whole lot sicker than I realized,” Elisburg recalled. Doctors found infection in his knee and back, plus alarming kidney and liver numbers “near dialysis levels.” Within days, surgeons performed a partial amputation of his foot and multiple additional procedures.
One surgery overlapped with the NBA draft lottery. “I get out of the operating room, reach the recovery room, and my first question is, ‘So who won the lottery?’” he said.
Rehabilitation has been “grueling,” yet the longtime executive has progressed to taking steps with parallel bars. Throughout the recovery, he continued working on roster plans, regularly phoning Heat president Pat Riley and assistant GM Nick Arison. He estimates he is handling about 80 percent of his normal September workload from his office.
“I’m looking forward to the season and lucky that I do something I have such a passion for and still am able to do it,” Elisburg said.
Source: HoopsRumors
