Ronny Turiaf sad situation! Career likely over, before starting!

Lakers draft choice to have open heart surgery!

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) -- Ronny Turiaf, the Los Angeles Lakers second-round draft pick, needs open-heart surgery to correct a life-threatening condition.


``I'm going to try everything I can to beat it,'' an emotional Turiaf said Friday at a news conference.

An enlarged aortic root was discovered during a physical, Lakers spokesman John Black said.

Turiaf, 22, will most likely have the operation in the next six weeks.

The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 15.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 blocked shots as a senior at Gonzaga last season. He was the Lakers' second pick behind 17-year-old center Andrew Bynum of St. Joseph High in Metuchen, N.J.

Black said previous examinations of Turiaf a couple of years ago and earlier this year at the pre-NBA draft camp turned up an abnormality. But in both instances doctors didn't think it was serious and cleared him to play. Further examinations by the Lakers' own physicians turned up the more serious problem, Black said, and other independent experts confirmed it. Black said it was too early to determine if the condition would be career-ending.

We don't want to speculate on that, but obviously we're hopeful that if things go well he will be able to (play again),'' Black said.


Turiaf thanked teammate Kobe Bryant and fans for their support and vowed to get past the condition so he can help his family.

``Today is just another setback, another hurdle I'll just have to jump over,'' he said.

Black said diagnosing the condition now likely saved Turiaf's life.

``Had he not had this corrected, my understanding from our doctors is very likely this would have been a fatal condition,'' Black said. The Lakers want to pay for the surgery, if the league approves, Black said.

Had he not had the physical he would have likely died of a massive heart attack...this guy was a big time physical specimen...awful !

Holy Cow!

Hope he gets well.

Big setback for the Lakers and their fans.

I heard about this this morning. Very sad indeed. Hopefully everything will turn out for the good.

This guy was a monster in college, great big athletic body...awful story, atleast he found out,,, silver lining I suppose...

Journeyman said:

This guy was a monster in college, great big athletic body...awful story, atleast he found out,,, silver lining I suppose...

Click to expand...

kind of scary when i see stories like this. Especially the ones of athletes who discover heart conditions...Makes me wonder why even bother balancing your diet or doing some daily exercise... But i guess he just happened to be one in a million...

Looks like he should sue those doctors of his who missed it for mal practice or something!!!

I really enjoy watching this kid bang, as he was one of the great reasons for watching Gonzo. Hope he overcomes to prosper in all future endeavors..classy kid!

as a Laker fan, I am bummed because I thought he was a great steal in the 2nd round. Would have brought some rebounding intensity that is sorely lacking.


as a Ronny Turiaf fan, I hope his problem gets fixed. It has to be disappointing to work his whole life to make it to the NBA and then have the dream cut short but good health is always the most important thing in life along with family.

Pretty scary article I read again today on him. He sounds scared shitless (and rightly so). He as talking about how they are going to have to cut through his sternum and stuff...it sounds awful:

Offering a sound resolve but understanding the complex reality of open-heart surgery, 22-year-old Ronny Turiaf chuckled, cried and assessed the turns that life can take.
A week ago, the 6-foot-10 forward from Gonzaga signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after he was selected No. 37 in last month's draft. But he faces surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root, a condition that could have taken his life and will cost him at least one season as he recuperates.

"I definitely will be back on the court," Turiaf said yesterday. "That's my way of thinking right now. I'm going to try everything that I can to beat it. I beat a lot by myself, since I was 14 years old, trying to make a living for my family, trying to provide financial support for them. Today is just another setback.

"I will give my heart and soul to my family and to people that I care about," he said, laughing briefly at the words he chose. "I'm going to beat this stuff up."

Turiaf, who will undergo surgery in four to six weeks, was both strong and scared. He pulled up the top of his T-shirt to dry his eyes at one point. He cursed mildly when asked if he was worried.

"I'm scared of dying," he said. "This is a big thing. I heard that they're going to cut my sternum up and do all kinds of stuff. I'm like, 'Wow, this is scary.' But I have faith. The doctors are the best. I'm scared, but I just want to open my eyes after surgery."

Turiaf said he has not felt symptoms or discomfort related to his condition.

"I don't feel tired, you don't see me with a lack of energy," he said. "I'm always feeling good. I'm like, 'Geez, can I just take some medicine or something?' But no, you can't. This is just the way my heart is. I guess I have just too big of a heart."

The aortic root is the beginning part of the aorta, the body's largest artery. The diameter of Turiaf's aorta is 5.6 centimeters, about 50 percent larger than normal, which increases the possibility of a rupture.

Turiaf's contract had one guaranteed year and would have paid him a total of about $1 million if the Lakers had picked up the option for his second season.

As it stands, the Lakers consider his contract to be void because it was contingent upon passing a physical. The Lakers are offering to pay for medical expenses that, barring complications, will surpass $100,000. A ruling from the league will determine if they can pay for a player's expenses without a contract.

Of Turiaf, Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth said, "He went through routine physicals each year. There was never anything that raised a flag or caused an alarm."

Agree with all Tesco said

the MOST important thing, though is by diagnosing this ahead of time we don't have to experience another Hank Gathers, Reggie Lewis or Pete Maravich

while it is sad he might never play in the NBA - the fact he will live a long life is more important than playing w/o having this diagnosed and then running a fast break in G7 of the NBA Finals, getting ready to slam it home and collapsing to the court and dying in front of a world-side audience

Classy move by the lakers to pay for his medical expenses, IMO. If the league says no for some reason, I hope Kobe or one of the other gazillionaires picks up the tab.

Turiaf had succesful open heart surgery today...hope for the best for this guy.