Alonzo Mourning

Hall of Fame center and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who won a championship with the Miami Heat after a kidney transplant.

Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served since 2009 as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat. Mourning played most of his 15-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career for the Heat. Nicknamed "Zo", Mourning played the center position. Following his college basketball career at Georgetown University, his tenacity on defense twice earned him the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and twice placed him on the NBA All-Defensive Team.

Mourning made a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant and later won the 2006 NBA championship with the Heat. He also played for the Charlotte Hornets and New Jersey Nets. On March 30, 2009, Mourning became the first Miami Heat player to have his number retired. In 2010, Mourning was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

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

Quick Facts

Team: Miami Heat
Position: Vice president of player programs and development
League: NBA
Born: 8 February 1970
Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.
High school: Indian River (Chesapeake, Virginia)
College: Georgetown (1988–1992)
Draft round: 1

Lore & Background

Mourning was born on February 8, 1970, in Chesapeake, Virginia. He attended Indian River High School, where he led the team to 51 straight victories and a state title his junior year. As a senior, he averaged 25 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocked shots per game. He was named Player of the Year by USA Today, Parade, Gatorade, and Naismith, and was the #1 recruit of the 1988 class.

Mourning played college basketball for John Thompson at Georgetown University. He led the nation in total blocked shots (169) and blocks per game (5.0) as a sophomore, setting Georgetown single-season records. He finished his college career with 2,001 points, 1,032 rebounds, and 453 blocked shots, ranking behind others such as Patrick Ewing and David Robinson in NCAA history at that time. Mourning was selected second overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.

He was named to the league's all-rookie team in 1993 after averaging 21.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.47 blocks. On November 3, 1995, the Hornets traded him to the Miami Heat. In July 1996, Mourning signed a seven-year, $105 million contract with the Heat. He won his first of two consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards in the 1998–99 season and again in 1999–2000.

Shortly after playing for the gold medal-winning U.S. national team in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Mourning was diagnosed with a serious kidney disease. He played 12 games for the New Jersey Nets in the 2002–03 season before being sidelined due to his kidney condition.