Alonzo Mourning

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Basketball player
Alonzo Mourning
 
Player information
Full name Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr.
birthday 8th February 1970 (age 50)
place of birth Chesapeake , Virginia , United States
size 208 cm
Weight 118 kg
position center
college Georgetown
NBA draft 1992 , 2nd pick, Charlotte Hornets
Clubs as active
1992–1995 Charlotte Hornets 1995–2001 Miami Heat 2003–2004 New Jersey Nets 2005–2007 Miami HeatUnited StatesUnited States
United StatesUnited States
United StatesUnited States
United StatesUnited States
National team
1994, 2000 United StatesUnited States United States

Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970 in Chesapeake , Virginia ) is a retired American basketball player . From 1992 to 2007 he was active in the NBA , most of it with the Miami Heat .

Until his kidney disease in 2000, Mourning was one of the best centers in the league and was a regular MVP candidate in the late 1990s . In 1999 and 2000 he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year . He was also nominated seven times for the NBA All-Star Game . His career stats show an average of 17.1 points , 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 838 NBA games.

In 2014 Mourning was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2019 into the FIBA Hall of Fame .

Careers in the NBA

From 1992 Mourning played in the North American professional league NBA . He was selected in the 1992 NBA Draft behind Shaquille O'Neal in second place by the Charlotte Hornets . In 1993, the center was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team for its first year of the NBA , and second to O'Neal in the Rookie of the Year election . Together with co-star Larry Johnson , the Hornets reached the NBA playoffs for the first time in their team history in 1993 . The first of seven All-Star nominations followed in 1994 . He was also basketball world champion in 1994 with the US national team. Mourning stayed with the Hornets until 1995 before he was transferred to the Miami Heat in exchange for Glen Rice . Before that, he turned down a contract extension offer from the Hornets.

At the Heat, Mourning formed a congenial duo with Tim Hardaway and reached the Conference Finals with them in 1997 , where they lost to the Chicago Bulls around Michael Jordan . With Mourning, the Heat belonged to the narrower circle of title contenders for the next few years, but could never meet expectations. Mourning was one of the best players in the league during this time and was also part of Team USA in Sydney , with which he won the gold medal.

In 2000 Mourning Focal was diagnosed with segmental glomerulosclerosis , a chronic disease of the kidneys. Because of this diagnosis, he suspended much of the 2000/01 season . However, he returned to the next season and completed 75 games. However, the Heat missed the playoffs. Alongside Sean Elliott , Mourning is the only NBA professional to have returned to professional sport after a kidney transplant. Since his physical condition deteriorated due to the illness, however, he suspended the entire 2002/03 season .

In the summer of 2003, Mourning left the Heat and signed a four-year contract with the New Jersey Nets . However, he resigned in November of that year to undergo a kidney transplant . After recovering, he returned for the 2004/05 season and completed 18 games for the Nets before being transferred to the Toronto Raptors . The Raptors bought him straight out of his contract, making him a free agent .

On March 1, 2005, Mourning returned to the Heat, where he was used as a backup for Shaquille O'Neal. In 2006 he won the NBA championship with the team. He returned for what would be his last season in 2006/07 .

In the game against the Atlanta Hawks on December 20, 2007, the then 37-year-old Center suffered a torn ligament in his knee and a ruptured patellar tendon, which ended the season for him. After he had announced in summer 2008 that he would reconsider his long-announced retirement from professional sport, he finally announced his retirement from professional basketball on January 22, 2009 at a press conference.

On March 30, 2009, in the middle of the game of the Miami Heat against the Orlando Magic , Mourning's jersey number 33 was hung under the roof of the American Airlines Arena and has not been awarded by the team since then. It was the first retired number in the history of the Heat franchise.

Achievements and Awards

See also

Web links

Commons : Alonzo Mourning  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hall of Fame Ceremony in Springfield
  2. ↑ NN: Mourning under goes successful surgery. On: NBA website; New York, NY, December 20, 2007. Retrieved November 8, 2017 (in English).
  3. ^ Mourning into evening: Zo retires in good health. In: ESPN.com. January 22, 2009, accessed May 3, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Mourning, Alonzo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zo (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American basketball player
DATE OF BIRTH February 8, 1970
PLACE OF BIRTH Chesapeake, Virginia , USA