Alonzo Mourning was one of the most spirited competitors I ever had the pleasure of watching. I remember 20 years ago watching a young Zo team up with Dikembe Mutombo terrorize the paint at Georgetown. Mourning would go on to team up with Larry Johnson in Charlotte, as the young expansion franchise quickly made a name for themselves in the NBA. Mourning’s greatest success though would not happen until he left Charlotte for Miami. As a member of the Heat, Zo would soon become the face, heart, and soul of a franchise who was in dire need of one. Miami flirted with playoff winning records behind the likes of Glen Rice and Rony Siekly. But when Zo, Tim Hardaway, and Thunder Dan Marjalie made it to South Beach, it was on.
Mourning left it all on the court every time he laced them up. Much like Kevin Garnett, the intensity displayed by number 33 was rivaled by none. Making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in the prime of his career, Mourning and company did not have enough to get past the Chicago Bulls. His career numbers of 17 Points, 8.5 Rebounds, and 2.8 Blocks are solid, yet Mourning was never “The Man” during his era. When he entered the league, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson were all entering their prime. Toward the end of the 90′s, Shaq had joined, and in most instanced surpassed that elite group as the most dominant force of his era.
Loading ...Alonzo’s health issues made his numbers, and playing time shorten significantly in the latter years of his career, and it wasn’t until a second stint with the Heat in 2005, that Mourning realized his dream of being a NBA champion. Whether or not Alonzo Mourning is a Hall of Famer is highly debatable, but what is not is that he was a warrior, both on the court and off.
Alonzo Mourning Interview:
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