Former Wildcat Todd Svoboda details his cancer journey, life after basketball

Todd Svoboda, a fan favorite on Kentucky’s 1992-93 Final Four team, was a star at Northern Kentucky for three seasons before transferring to UK to join the Wildcats and complete his engineering degree. In 2014, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. His fight against the disease has continued since then, with several recurrences. In 2024, his right leg was amputated following an infection related to a procedure done just after his diagnosis in 2014. But with the support of family, friends, and his ties to UK (both his medical team and basketball teammates), he is doing well and staying active, and has resumed his work as an engineer at East Kentucky Power Cooperative. In this conversation, he talks about the battle with cancer, but also about his year with Rick Pitino’s Wildcats, including his first meeting with the coach. He also talked about the challenge of balancing engineering studies with basketball and his multi-sport background. He was an outstanding tennis player and, after being drawn to the sport while watching the Olympics, excelled at water polo!