Alonzo Mourning made a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant and later won the 2006 NBA championship with the Heat.
45 Facts About Alonzo Mourning
2.
Alonzo Mourning played for the Charlotte Hornets and New Jersey Nets.
3.
On March 30,2009, Alonzo Mourning became the first Miami Heat player to have his number retired.
4.
In 2010, Alonzo Mourning was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
5.
Alonzo Mourning was named Player of the Year by USA Today, Parade, Gatorade, and Naismith.
6.
Alonzo Mourning played college basketball for John Thompson at Georgetown University.
7.
Alonzo Mourning made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting all 34 games for the Hoyas, averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
8.
Alonzo Mourning's scoring and rebounding improved over the next two seasons, but his shot-blocking declined significantly, as his taller teammate Dikembe Mutombo established himself as starting center for Georgetown, forcing Alonzo Mourning to play at power forward.
9.
Alonzo Mourning averaged 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.0 blocks per game that year, and collected numerous awards, including Consensus First-Team All-American and Big East Conference Player of the Year.
10.
Alonzo Mourning was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year, which he had won twice previously.
11.
Alonzo Mourning finished his college career with 2,001 points and 1,032 rebounds, reaching the exclusive 2,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestone.
12.
Interestingly, Alonzo Mourning was never listed as the all-time leader in Georgetown history, as the school credits Patrick Ewing with 493 blocks during his college career, but blocked shots were not an official NCAA statistic at that time.
13.
Alonzo Mourning was selected second overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, behind Shaquille O'Neal and before Christian Laettner.
14.
Alonzo Mourning was named to the league's all-rookie team in 1993 after averaging 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.47 blocks.
15.
Alonzo Mourning finished second to Shaquille O'Neal in rookie of the year voting.
16.
Alonzo Mourning posted the highest scoring average of any rookie in Hornets history.
17.
Alonzo Mourning shattered Charlotte's blocked-shots records, becoming the Hornets' all-time career leader in the 49th game of the season.
18.
The Hornets lost in the second round to the New York Knicks in five games, with Alonzo Mourning averaging 23.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in nine playoff games.
19.
The Hornets lost in four games to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs, despite Alonzo Mourning averaging 22 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks during the series.
20.
On November 3,1995, after Alonzo Mourning rejected Charlotte's contract extension offer worth an average of $11.2 million for seven years and knowing they would not be able to re-sign him, the Hornets traded him, along with reserves Pete Myers and LeRon Ellis in exchange for Glen Rice, Matt Geiger, Khalid Reeves and a first-round pick in the 1996 NBA draft.
21.
Alonzo Mourning played in the 1996 NBA All-Star Game and was joined by All-Star point guard Tim Hardaway who arrived through a mid-season trade.
22.
In July 1996, Alonzo Mourning signed a seven-year, $105 million contract with the Heat.
23.
Alonzo Mourning scored 28 points in Game 6, followed by a 22-point, 12-rebound performance in Game 7 to help Miami advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, a franchise first, to face Chicago.
24.
Shortly after playing for the gold medal-winning US national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Alonzo Mourning was diagnosed with a serious kidney disease.
25.
Alonzo Mourning signed a four-year deal with the New Jersey Nets in July 2003 as a free agent.
26.
On November 24,2003, after appearing in 12 games, Alonzo Mourning retired from the NBA due to complications from his kidney disease.
27.
Alonzo Mourning 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 away Kenyon Martin.
28.
Alonzo Mourning never reported to the Raptors, and was bought out of his contract at a remaining $9 million on February 11,2005.
29.
Alonzo Mourning then finished the season with the Heat being paid a second salary, the veteran's minimum.
30.
Alonzo Mourning's role was reduced as a backup because of superstar Shaquille O'Neal, although he was called upon as a starter due to O'Neal missing stretches due to injury.
31.
O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning even played together on the court at times, with Alonzo Mourning playing power forward.
32.
Alonzo Mourning finished the regular season ranking third in blocked shots at 2.66 per game, despite only playing 20 minutes per contest.
33.
Miami swept the Nets in the first round of the playoffs, with Alonzo Mourning recording 21 points and nine rebounds in just 16 minutes in Game 2.
34.
Miami fell in seven games to the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, in the Eastern Conference Finals, with Alonzo Mourning leading the team in blocks with three per game for the series.
35.
Alonzo Mourning continued to serve as the Heat's backup center, and early on stepped in to serve as the team's starting center after O'Neal suffered an injury.
36.
Alonzo Mourning started in 20 games out of a total of 65 games played, averaging 7.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, while finishing third in the league with 2.7 blocks per game despite playing as a reserve.
37.
In 2007, Alonzo Mourning announced he would return for one more year with the Heat and his 15th season.
38.
Alonzo Mourning announced his retirement from the NBA on January 22,2009.
39.
Alonzo Mourning announced his return to the Heat in late June 2009; he holds the position of vice president of player programs and development, which covers community outreach and mentoring young players.
40.
Alonzo Mourning played in a basketball game for Barack Obama's 50th birthday at the basketball court at the White House in 2011.
41.
On March 26,2019, Alonzo Mourning was named to the FIBA Hall of Fame, and was inducted on August 30.
42.
In July 2011, Alonzo Mourning was sued by Miami-based lawyer Spencer Aronfeld on behalf of Alberto Candoleria for crashing his car into another car and then leaving the scene of the accident.
43.
The Florida Highway Patrol later charged Alonzo Mourning with leaving the scene of a car accident.
44.
Alonzo Mourning's father was present and informed Cooper that Alonzo Mourning was retiring that day from the NBA because of a life-threatening kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, the same problem that Sean Elliott had in 1999.
45.
Cooper was tested for compatibility, along with many other family members and friends ; during his grandmother's funeral, Alonzo Mourning received the news that Jason Cooper was a match.