Sean Elliott, the former San Antonio Spurs forward and Arizona Wildcats legend, is recovering after undergoing a successful cardioversion treatment for atrial fibrillation at Methodist Healthcare in San Antonio. The 56-year-old retired NBA player was alerted to an irregular heartbeat by his Apple Watch despite being asymptomatic. Elliott’s wife, Claudia Zapata-Elliott, shared the news on Instagram, stating, “Sean wasn’t experiencing any symptoms, but his Apple Watch had been warning him he was in atrial fibrillation—also known as A-Fib.
It’s when the heart beats irregularly and chaotically and untreated, can lead to a stroke.”
The medical team at Methodist Healthcare, led by father-daughter cardiologists J. Fernando Triana and Taylor Triana, performed several diagnostic tests before using cardioversion to reset Elliott’s heart rhythm. Zapata-Elliott expressed her gratitude for the healthcare system and the medical team, referring to them as “the best father-daughter cardiologists in the business.
Elliott, who graduated from Cholla High School in 1985, was a standout player for Lute Olson’s Arizona program.
He was a consensus All-American in his junior and senior years, leading the Wildcats to the Final Four during the 1987-88 season. Elliott broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s (then Lew Alcindor’s) Pac-10 career scoring record and won the Wooden Award after his senior season.
Sean Elliott’s heart treatment recovery
He remains Arizona’s career-scoring leader with 2,555 points. After a successful NBA career, which included helping the San Antonio Spurs win the 1999 NBA Finals, Elliott announced he had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a kidney disease. He underwent a kidney transplant on August 16, 1999, with his older brother Noel donating the kidney. It is currently unclear if this recent medical episode will affect Elliott’s plans to coach at the Lute Olson Camp from Aug. 22-25, as mentioned by Mike Feder, the camp’s co-founder, during a recent interview on the “Eye on the Ball” radio show on 1450 AM.
Cholla High School’s gymnasium is named after Sean Elliott, widely regarded as the greatest player in Arizona Wildcats basketball history. Fans and well-wishers hope for a speedy recovery for the basketball legend.
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