Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert’s story with kidney cancer is another example of how even when you take care of yourself, exercise and eat regularly and don’t smoke you can still get kidney cancer.

Caris was born in Ohio and currently plays for the Cleveland Cavs. But a few years ago, he was traded from the Brooklyn to Indiana. It was a trade that might have saved his life. As part of the trade, he got a routine MRI of the lumbar area which demonstrated an unexpected tumor on his left kidney. The following days were agonizing as he waited to complete tests to see if there was any sign of spread. These tests came back reassuring, so on Jan 25, 2021 he underwent a laparoscopic nephrectomy.

Kidney tumors are rare in men of this age, therefore there is little data to inform us on how quickly an athlete can return to compete at such a high level. Caris however was determined to do it as quickly as possible. In an interview with Sports Illustrated Caris said, “The first time I picked a basketball up after surgery, I wasn’t that excited. I just wanted to lay down. I’ve dislocated my ankle, I’ve broken my foot three times—this pain was so much harder to get through than any of my other injuries. I had a lot of nausea. I wasn’t eating for two weeks. I lost a lot of weight. And the pain medicine was feeding the nausea. It was definitely tough.”

Amazingly, through hard work and grit, he returned to play his first game on March 13th and scored 13 points only 47 days after his surgery. He continues to do well and now helped lead the Cavs to 4th place in the Eastern Conference in 2023 scoring nearly 1000 points, dishing out nearly 300 assists and pulling down nearly 300 rebound. With a young team, expectations are high for next year. It is exciting to see a kidney cancer survivor performing at such a high level.