Former Pacer Scot Pollard on 'Survivor' and surviving

Funky-haired, former NBA power forward Scot Pollard says the words matter-of-factly — as if he's talking about a basketball play.

"I'm on a watch list," he says. "It's a big man thing."

Cardiomyopathy. It can be a deadly disease — a condition that makes it hard for the heart to deliver blood to the body, leading to heart failure.

Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain, 7-1, died of cardiomyopathy at age 63. Pollard's dad, 6-10 and 380 pounds, died of the disease at 54.

Pollard's brothers are showing the symptoms, and his sister already has had a pacemaker implanted. That's why he's on a watch list. The condition is genetic. It attacks big people.

"And it tends to lead (to) not living into the 90s," said the 6-11 Pollard, who played for the Indiana Pacers from 2003-06.

So, with that always on his mind, Pollard's latest adventure as a contestant on "Survivor Kaoh Rong: Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty" left the 41-year-old contemplating life.

A lot.

Pollard can't comment on what happened during the show. But as "Survivor" sets to debut Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS, Pollard — a father of three (with another on the way), who lives in Carmel with his wife, Dawn — opened up to IndyStar about basketball, growing up Mormon, those unique hairstyles, his health, his acting career and more.

Why the hair?

Pollard played for five teams in his 11-year NBA career, standing out because of his defensive play and his wacky hairstyles, which ranged from mohawk to bald and from single pony tail to the unforgettable two-pigtail style he revealed in 2006 as a Pacers player. With the Sacramento Kings, he earned the nickname Samurai Scot.

"It's just always been in my blood," he said. "The first time I dyed my hair blonde, I was in 7th grade. I just kind of experimented. Then, mostly high top, flat top in high school. Vanilla Ice, you know? Then I got to college, and I dyed my hair and painted my fingernails. I always liked to do my own thing. The thought process was, if I didn't like it, it will always grow back."

Pollard is now decorated with tattoos, lots of tattoos. They're easy to spot as he goes shirtless for "Survivor."

Favorite Pacers memory

That's an easy one for Pollard, who played three seasons for Indiana, two with a guy named Reggie.

"It was wonderful being part of (the playoffs) three years in a row. I got to play with Reggie Miller. His last two (seasons with the Pacers) were my first two with them. He was a true professional."

Pollard averaged 3.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 155 games (52 starts) with the Pacers.

Playoff king

After attending the University of Kansas, Pollard went to the Detroit Pistons as the 19th pick of the 1997 NBA Draft. Except for his rookie season, Pollard appeared in the NBA playoffs every season of his career, including in the 2007 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He won a championship in his final season (2007–08) with the Boston Celtics. He averaged 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 506 games.

"Since my rookie year in the NBA, I've been fortunate to always be a part of a great team," Pollard said. "Those things rub off on you. You learn to be a winner. You learn to be a professional. It’s also made me a little snobbish when I see guys that are selfish. Why are you guys always losing? Maybe you need to pass. There are certain guys, there are people that know how to win. And there are those that don't."

No longer Mormon

Born in Murray, Utah, to a devout Mormon family, Pollard was one of six siblings. While his memories growing up are positive, he never embraced the Mormon religion.

"It's nothing I'm ashamed of. It's nothing I don't like to talk about. I'm very proud," he said. "It's very much a part of who I am. I'm a very family-oriented guy. People think I'm this wild, crazy guy because of the hairstyles. There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than hanging out at home with my wife, helping my kids with homework. And that has everything to do with me growing up Mormon."

Plan to combat cardiomyopathy

The best thing to do, Pollard said, is keep his weight as low as he can. A normal heart should be pumping for 180 pounds.

"Your heart isn't supposed to pump 320 pounds," he said. "It's about staying as thin as possible. The way my cardiologist described it, the less your heart has to pump, the better. There is a significant issue there for tall people. I have perfect numbers on everything. My heart is the same as it was in 2003 when I started checking it every year. I haven't been diagnosed yet, but they're watching me. You just hope the medicine continues to get better, way better than when my dad passed away in 1991."

How his dad's death changed him

Pollard was 16 when his dad died. Pearl Pollard worked for the city of public works in San Diego. He invented a rake to hook up to a tractor to scrape up sea kelp.

"He was a hell of a man. He made his mark," Pollard said. "We had to have a funeral in Utah and California. I just hope one day, I can be somewhat like him. His death, it was perfect timing, but not in a good way. I was 16. I was doing some dumb things, and I was getting in trouble. I got caught, and it was taken care of, and I did community service. I got straightened out legally before my dad passed. He hung on long enough. That’s when my drive and my love of basketball became very, very real. My father’s passing was the impetus for me deciding to become a good person."

"Survivor" baby

All the contemplation of life while shooting the show left Pollard very sure of one thing.

"The show was tough. For anybody skeptical about reality TV, the art of surviving, it’s real," he said. "If you think they hand you a latte and you sit in a chair and wait for the next scene, that's not true. Did I learn something? Absolutely. My wife and I were considering having a child. Being away for seven weeks with no community, not knowing what was going on at home, you don’t get to know the day to day. I missed my wife and my children terribly."

As soon as Pollard got to airport after the final filming was complete, he called his wife and said, "We're having a baby." The couple's son is due in May. "We're hoping we can take him to the finale."

No beauty nor brains

Did Pollard take offense to being put on the Brawn Tribe? The castaways were charged with figuring out which attribute, brains, brawn or beauty, would help them most in the quest for the $1 million prize.

"Here's the deal, and I'm sure everybody on the show would say, 'I prefer to think of myself that I'm all three.'" he said. "But they had to categorize us. If you're going to look at some of the other contestants. If we have to put somebody on beauty and somebody on brains and he has all three? We have to put him on brawn. Totally being sarcastic of course."

After "Survivor"

No. He doesn't play basketball anymore. His body hurts. Pollard and his wife do a lot of charitable events; he does some public speaking, some motivational speaking and even some stand-up comedy. (Pollard made more than $38 million in salary in the NBA according to basketball-reference.com.) Pollard has a movie coming out later this year that he produced, helped write and starred in called "The Association."

"Its loosely based on my life and the lives of many of the people I've been in contact with. It's not about basketball. It's the association of being involved with the Association. There are a lot of personal struggles that the players go through off the court. You hear about them in gossip columns, but they're real."

Pollard's dream is to have the "right person" see the movie and want to turn it into a television series like "Entourage."

Follow IndyStar reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow.