Former NBA champion Scot Pollard rings the bell and dances as he leaves Nashville hospital after recovering from a heart transplant nearly two weeks ago

Former NBA star Scot Pollard has left a Nashville hospital after undergoing a heart transplant about two weeks ago.

Pollard celebrated his recovery by walking alone unassisted down a hospital hallway as staff applauded him.

He finished it off by ringing a bell and shouting: ‘I’m leaving!’ in a video posted on Twitter by his wife, Dawn.

Pollard, who won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2007-08, needed a new heart due to damage caused by a virus he contracted in 2021.

The 49-year-old revealed earlier this year that a genetic problem caused by the flu-like virus required him to get a new heart. He had a successful surgery on February 16.

A day later, his wife Dawn revealed that Pollard woke up on the morning of the 17th and at night the former basketball player was walking once again.

In images shared at the time, the 6-foot-11 Pollard could be seen moving around the hospital with the help of a walker as dozens of wires and intravenous drips followed him.

‘We have a walker! “He continues to amaze us all with his strength,” Dawn Pollard wrote alongside the video.

A day after surgery, Dawn posted pictures of him standing after surgery. She also posted a photo of Pollard once she woke up from surgery.

‘Look who’s awake and feeling great!’ she wrote. “The breathing tube came out early this morning and she started making jokes and singing ‘I left my heart in San Francisco-Nashville.'”

Pollard’s virus likely triggered a genetic condition he has known about since he killed his father at age 54, when Scot was 16. He underwent surgery after going public with his search for a donor last month.

“The surgery went well and they told me the heart is big, powerful and fits perfectly.” Dawn said Friday. ‘Let’s now move on to the crucial part of recovery.

“Thank you all for the continued prayers and support, but most of all, our deepest thanks to the donor, our hero.”

Before the procedure, Dawn shared intimate photos of her shaving her husband’s head and beard before the transplant. She asked her followers to pray for her 6-foot-11, 260-pound spouse.

Pollard’s size complicated efforts to find a donor with a heart large enough to fit his body.