ESPN’s long-running newsmagazine E:60 is set to air one of its most personal stories yet, granting an unguarded look into former NBA player Scot Pollard’s fight for his life. Titled Heart of Pearl, the episode documents Pollard’s experience with advanced heart failure and his high-stakes wait for a transplant, a situation made all the more pointed by his family’s history.
The story is shadowed by the memory of Pollard’s father, Pearl, a former basketball player who died from the same condition while awaiting a transplant. Like his father, Scot’s considerable height—he stands at 6’11”—made finding a suitable donor heart a significant medical challenge. The episode examines how his father’s death shaped Scot’s own life and competitive drive, while also turning its lens on his present motivation: to survive for his wife and children.
E:60 was given full access to Pollard’s medical process, with cameras rolling from his admission into the ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Filming began on February 16, 2024, the day his original heart was removed, capturing the raw uncertainty of his situation. The episode features candid conversations between Pollard and correspondent Jeremy Schaap, where the former athlete speaks openly about his fears and hopes while facing his own mortality. It’s a departure from the typical sports narrative, focusing instead on the human cost of a genetic lottery.
E:60 airs Sunday, June 15 at 1:00 PM ET on ESPN.
