Alonzo Harding Mourning, Jr. (born February 8 1970, in Chesapeake, Virginia) is an NBA player who is currently with the Miami Heat. He is also known simply as "Zo". Playing at center, he is tall, and weighs . Mourning was famous for his tenacity in defense, twice earning NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. He is lauded for making a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant.

NBA career

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Upon his graduation from Indian River High School in Chesapeake, Mourning played college basketball for the Georgetown University Hoyas. In 1992 he was selected second overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, behind Shaquille O'Neal. Mourning and teammate Larry Johnson elevated the Hornets into a 50-win team and brought them to the playoffs. Mourning was one of four players to lead an NBA team in four major statistical categories (along with Dana Barros, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Scottie Pippen), ranking first on the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), rebounding (9.9 rpg), blocked shots (2.92 per game), and field goal percentage (.519).

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 shotblocking. 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, blocked shots and double-doubles (29). He and Tim Hardaway led the Heat into playoffs, where the Knicks-Heat rivalry intensified.

However, prior the start of the 2000-01 season, he was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a disease of the kidneys, that had caused him to miss many games for the past few seasons. Even after the diagnosis, Mourning still played in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. Because his condition worsened, Mourning did not play during the entire 2002-03 season.

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