Journalism Showcase: From cold email to full access, E60 tells Scot Pollard’s heart transplant story

Sunday, June 15, as millions of families across America celebrate Father’s Day, ESPN E60 will debut its own Father’s Day story with “Heart of Pearl,” documenting the heart transplant journey of former Kansas Jayhawks and NBA basketball star Scot Pollard.

The one-hour program airs at 1 p.m. ET, streaming afterward on ESPN+.

While a life-threatening heart issue is an intensely personal matter, Pollard and his family wanted their story told as a way to help others and granted E60 unprecedented access to the procedure in early 2024.

Reported by Jeremy Schaap, the E60 story was directed by ESPN Feature Producer Dan Lindberg, a veteran of many previous E60 productions.

“So we thought we were doing a story on a former NBA player who needs a heart transplant,” Lindberg told Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR-TV. “The story we ended up wanting to tell was about a 16-year-old boy in San Diego who lost his father to a heart condition he would ultimately inherit and would get the transplant that his father wasn’t able to get.”

Lindberg spoke with Front Row:

How did it come about for you to do this story? Was there a preexisting relationship with Pollard?
There was no relationship. We saw his posts on social media. His wife was amplifying, so we looked her up, and she is a real estate agent in the greater Indianapolis area. I just cold-emailed her and it led to a Zoom call.

What was the process of gaining the trust of the Pollard family to have as much access as you did?
We had a Zoom call where we asked for the moon and wanted to set expectations off the top, but we also sent him previous E60 documentaries that were done with heavy access like Matt Millen, Alex Smith and Mayra Ramirez. After our conversation, they watched them all and said, “Let’s do it.”

E60’s Jeremy Schaap interviews Scot Pollard as E60 director Dan Lindberg (far left) supervises the shoot. (Dan Lindberg/ESPN)

Pollard confers with physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center prior to his heart transplant. (ESPN)

Pollard excelled at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego before finishing as a Parade Magazine All-American at Kamiakin High in Kennewick, Wash. in 1993. (ESPN)

Former Kansas college star Pollard (R) played for five teams in 11 NBA seasons. (Scott Clarke/ESPN IMages)

Prior to his heart transplant surgery, Scot Pollard gets his hair and beard shaved by his wife Dawn (ESPN)

Hours after his heart transplant surgery, E60 cameras capture Scot Pollard recuperating as his wife Dawn watches over him. (ESPN)

Upon his discharge after his heart transplant, Scot Pollard joyfully “rings the bell” at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. (ESPN)

What’s something you wish could have made it into the show that didn’t?
Scot’s highlights from his senior year of high school were insane. They were so hard to lose, but from a content standpoint, they didn’t help us move the story forward despite being really, really fun to watch.

Also, Monkey the Cat. Scot has a hairless cat named Monkey [see below] that kept wreaking havoc during our interview. He literally jumped on Schaap during the interview and spent many moments on Jeremy’s lap because Monkey likes attention.