WACO -
A rare medical condition ends the career of former Baylor center Isaiah Austin.
Austin went under genetic testing as part of preparation for the 2014 NBA Draft and during this they found Austin suffers from Marfan syndrome. This is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to problems in connective tissues throughout the body. One feature of Marfan syndrome is aortic enlargement, which can be life-threatening.
"This is devastating news, but Isaiah has the best support system anyone could ask for, and he knows that all of Baylor Nation is behind him," head coach
Scott Drew said in an article on the school's sports web site. "His health is the most important thing, and while it's extremely sad that he won't be able to play in the NBA, our hope is that he'll return to Baylor to complete his degree and serve as a coach in our program."
The article went on to say about one in 5,000 people have Marfan syndrome. To learn more, click
here.
The Arlington native is 7-foot-1 and was expected to be the first to ever play in the NBA while partially blind. Austin declared for the NBA Draft after playing for two seasons as a Bear. He averaged 12.1 points a game and finished tied for second on the school's all-time blocked shots list with 177.
