Alonzo Mourning

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Alonzo Mourning
PositionCenter
NicknameZo
LeagueNBA
Height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight261 lb (118 kg)
TeamMiami Heat
Nationality American
BornFebruary 8 1970 (1970-02-08) (age 39)
Chesapeake, Virginia
High schoolIndian River
CollegeGeorgetown
Draft2nd overall, 1992
Charlotte Hornets
Pro career1992–present
Former teams Charlotte Hornets (1992–1995)
Miami Heat (1995–2001)
New Jersey Nets (2003–2004)
AwardsAll-NBA First Team (1999)
All-NBA Second Team (2000)
NBA Def. Player of the Year (1999, 2000)
NBA All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2000)
Seven-time All Star
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1993)
NBA Champion (2006)

Alonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. (born February 8 1970, in Chesapeake, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Miami Heat. He is also known simply as "Zo". Playing at center, he is 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, and weighs 261 lb (118 kg/18.6 st). His tenacity on defense twice earned him NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and perennially placed him on the NBA All-Defensive Team. He is applauded for making a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant and years later winning his first NBA Championship with the Heat. He has also played for the Charlotte Hornets and New Jersey Nets. He was a member of the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat team. Mourning and his wife Tracy have one son, Alonzo III (“Trey”), and a daughter, Myka Sydney.Although his listed height is 6'10",most observers believe he is closer to 6'9".

Contents

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Early career

During his time at Indian River High School in Chesapeake he led the team to 51 straight victories and a state title his junior year (1987). As a senior he averaged 25 points, 15 rebounds and 12 block shots a game. His play drew many comparisons to a younger version of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who also played at center. Mourning played college basketball for the Georgetown University Hoyas. He led the nation in blocked shots his freshman year and was an All American his last year there. He was selected second overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, behind Shaquille O'Neal. Mourning was named to the league's all-rookie team in 1993 after averaging 21.0 pts, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.47 blocks. He finished second to Shaquille O'Neal in rookie of the year voting. He posted the highest scoring average of any rookie in Hornets history. Mourning and O'Neal were the first NBA rookies since David Robinson in 1989-90 to average 20 or more points and 10-plus rebounds in their first seasons. Mourning shattered Charlotte's blocked-shots records, becoming the Hornets' all-time career leader in the 49th game of the season. The greatest moment of Mourning's rookie season came on May 5, 1993 in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.[attribution needed] His 20-footer at the buzzer gave the Hornets a 104-103 victory in the game and a three-games-to-one victory in the series.

In the 1994-95 season, Mourning and teammate Larry Johnson elevated the Hornets into a 50-win team and brought them to the playoffs. Mourning ranked first on the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg), blocked shots (2.92 per game), and field goal percentage (.519).

[edit] Miami Heat

Friction with Johnson and contract issues forced a change, so after three years in Charlotte, he was traded to Miami, where he played for the Heat for the next seven seasons. He was the centerpiece of the Pat Riley-coached Miami Heat, averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and dominating the paint with his intimidating shot-blocking. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice during this period and was named into the All-NBA First Team after leading the Heat in scoring (20.1 ppg), field-goal percentage (.511), rebounds (11.0), blocked shots (3.9) during the 1999-2000 NBA season. He and Tim Hardaway led the Heat into playoffs, where the Knicks-Heat rivalry intensified.

In the 1997 NBA Playoffs, with the Heat down 3-0 to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, Mourning guaranteed a victory in Game 4. The Heat won the Game 87-80, but the Heat lost in five. The next season, Miami would be eliminated in the first round by the Knicks, a series in which Mourning was suspended for the 5th and deciding game of due to an on-court fight with ex-teammate Larry Johnson where Knicks Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy wound up hanging onto Mourning's leg in an attempt to break it up. Miami would also be eliminated by the Knicks in the playoffs the following two seasons.

In 2000, Miami underwent an overhaul to attempt to put together the pieces to win a championship, and expectations leading up to the season were high. However, prior the start of the 2000-01 season, Mourning was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a disease of the kidneys, that had caused him to miss the first five months of that season. Even after the diagnosis, Mourning returned and played in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. Because his condition worsened, Mourning did not play during the entire 2002-03 season and his expiring contract was not renewed by the then-rebuilding Heat.

[edit] New Jersey Nets

As a free agent, in 2003 he signed a four-year contract with the New Jersey Nets. But on November 25, 2003 Mourning retired from the NBA due to complications from his kidney disease. On December 19 of that year he underwent a successful kidney transplant. In 2004, he started practicing with the Nets again, and made the team's regular season roster for a part of his time spent with the Nets in the 2004-05 season. However, he did not play a significant role with the Nets and openly complained to the media that he wanted out of New Jersey, especially after the team traded Kenyon Martin. [1] Mourning was traded to the Toronto Raptors on December 17, 2004. Mourning refused to report to the team and the Raptors were forced to buy out his contract, at a remaining 9 million dollars, on February 11, 2005. Team officials later said that he did not meet the medical conditions to play for the Raptors. [2] [3] Mourning then finished the season with the Miami Heat being paid a second salary, the veteran's minimum.[4]

[edit] Back with the Heat

After being unhappy at the prospect of playing for a losing franchise, Mourning re-signed with the Heat on March 1, 2005. His role was reduced as a backup because of superstar Shaquille O'Neal, although he has been called upon as a starter due to O'Neal missing stretches due to injury. Because of physical limitations, his minutes were reduced, but was still a steady contributor. Mourning's tenacious defense, steady offense, and all around hustle helped the Heat gain and maintain the second-best record in the NBA's Eastern conference during the 2005-06 season; his intensity had earned him the title "The Ultimate Warrior" amongst Miami Heat fans. Mourning finished the regular season ranking third in blocked shots at 2.66 per game, despite only playing 20 minutes per contest.

The Miami Heat and Mourning finally won the elusive NBA Championship in the 2006 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2. Although he was used as a reserve center behind Shaquille O'Neal during the Finals, he contributed 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the decisive Game 6 of the series and was a strong force throughout.

After winning the championship, Mourning announced that he would return to the Heat in 2006-07 to defend their title, despite receiving offers of more money from other teams, including the San Antonio Spurs. In 2007, Mourning announced he would return for one more year with the Heat and his 15th season. "It will definitely be my last year", Mourning said. After starting the season on a solid note averaging 6 points, 3.8 rebounds ans 1.75 blocks in just over 16 played per 24 games[1], Mourning tore his patellar tendon in his right knee[2] on December 19 during the first quarter of a 117-111 OT loss in Atlanta.[3][4] The injury, which occurred on the fourth anniversary of his successful kidney transplant, could be career-ending.

Mourning averages the most blocks in the NBA per 48 minutes with 5.46.

He recently became the Heat's all-time leader in points scored.

[edit] Career highlights

Olympic medal record
Men's basketball
Gold Sydney 2000 United States

[edit] Kidney transplant

On November 25, 2003, Mourning's cousin and a former U. S. Marine, Jason Cooper, was visiting Mourning's gravely ill grandmother in the hospital. Mourning's father was present and informed Cooper that Mourning was retiring that very same day from the NBA because of a life-threatening kidney disease, focal segmental glomerular sclerosis, the same problem that Sean Elliott had in 1999. Cooper asked if there was anything he could do, and began to contemplate donating one of his kidneys to his estranged cousin, who he had not seen in 25 years and whom he only knew through basketball. Cooper was tested for compatibility, along with many other family members and friends (including fellow NBA center and good friend Patrick Ewing); as fate would have it, during his grandmother's funeral, Mourning received the good news that Jason Cooper was a match.

Mourning received Cooper's left kidney on December 19, 2003.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • One of his greatest rivals was fellow Georgetown and Knicks center Patrick Ewing.
  • Mourning contributed $25,000 to the American Democratic Party in 2004. [5]
  • Mourning appeared in the video games NBA Jam, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, NBA Jam Extreme, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC, and NBA Jam (2003) (as both a current player and a 90's All-Star).
  • Made an appearance in The Game's music video "Dreams" and Hootie & the Blowfish video "Only Wanna Be With You".
  • Mourning graduated with a degree in sociology.
  • Signed a $105 million contract with the Miami Heat in 1996.
  • As the #1 player in the class of 1988, Mourning was ranked above such talents as Billy Owens, Shawn Kemp, Kenny Williams, and Stanley Roberts. He was the first player to win the Gatorade, Naismith, Parade, and USA Today high school player of the year awards simultaneously.
  • Featured in NBA Jam; along with Dikembe Mutombo and Shaquille O'Neal are the only current players still active who were featured in this game.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=845
  2. ^ Heat's Mourning tears knee tendon while playing defense vs. Hawks
  3. ^ Johnson, Hawks Outlast Heat in OT
  4. ^ Atlanta nudges Miami in OT behind Johnson's 3-point play
  5. ^ 1990 USA Basketball
  6. ^ 1994 USA Basketball

[edit] External links


Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States squad - 1990 FIBA World Championship - Bronze medal Image:Flag of the United States.svg

4 D.Smith | 5 Randell | 6 Mayberry | 7 Williams | 8 C.Smith | 9 Anderson | 10 Stith | 11 Day | 12 Gatling | 13 Laettner | 14 Owens | 15 Mourning | Coach: Krzyzewski


Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States squad - 1994 FIBA World Championship Champions - Gold medal Image:Flag of the United States.svg

4 Dumars | 5 Price | 6 Coleman | 7 Kemp | 8 Smith | 9 Majerle | 10 Miller | 11 K.Johnson | 12 Wilkins | 13 O'Neal | 14 Mourning | 15 L.Johnson | Coach: Nelson

v • d • e
Image:Med 1.png 2000 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States Image:Med 1.png
Shareef Abdur-Rahim | Ray Allen | Vin Baker | Vince Carter | Kevin Garnett | Tim Hardaway | Allan Houston | Jason Kidd | Antonio McDyess | Alonzo Mourning | Gary Payton | Steve Smith | Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich
v • d • e
Miami Heat 2005-06 NBA Champions

1 Wright | 3 Wade (Finals MVP) | 5 D. Anderson | 8 Walker | 20 Payton | 24 Kapono | 30 Barron | 32 O'Neal | 33 Mourning | 40 Haslem | 42 Posey | 49 S. Anderson | 51 Doleac | 55 Williams | Coach Riley

de:Alonzo Mourning

es:Alonzo Mourning fr:Alonzo Mourning id:Alonzo Mourning it:Alonzo Mourning he:אלונזו מורנינג ja:アロンゾ・モーニング pl:Alonzo Mourning pt:Alonzo Mourning zh:阿朗佐·莫宁

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