Alonzo Mourning

[Headache in a Suitcase]

well it came out yesterday that alonzo mourning, who has suffered from kidney disease for a few years, will be forced to retire from the nba, and is in need of a kidney transplant. sad news, but unfortunatly, not unexpected. after missing 2 years with problems relating to his kidney, not many people i know really expect him to last out the length of his new contract with the new jersey nets.
mourning was a great talent who never really reached his full potential. he came into the nba after staring for georgetown alongside dikembe mutumbo, with the expectations that he and shaquille o'neal, also drafted in 1992, would be a new "russell-chamberlain" for the 1990s and 2000s. that obviously wouldn't happen, as shaq would move out west and prosper with the lakers, while alonzo would have a succesful yet injury plagued career with charlotte and later miami.

alonzo will be remembered most for the battles he had not with shaq, but with his idol and friend, patrick ewing and the new york knicks (who, with 1 exception, always beat 'zo's heat, i might add ). and perhaps the most famous moment of those knicks-heat slugfests was game 4 of the first round of the 1998 nba playoffs. yet another fight broke out, this one between alonzo and his former teammate in charlotte, larry johnson. so as yours truely sat in the nose bleed section of the garden, watching the mele with his then girlfriend who had season tickets (machavelian little fucker ain't i ), knicks coach jeff van gundy grabbed ahold of alonzo mourning's leg and was dragged baisicly the length of the court... ahhhh memories

you'll be missed alonzo... our prayers are with you.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

I saw this on TV today, while I'm not a fan of basketball at all the few times I saw the game I remember seeing Alonzo play and thus was very struck by the news.

 

[Elvis Presley]

Yeah, it doesnt help that last week Zo got clowned by teammates during conditioning drills last week after finishing last. I heard KMart and Jefferson were giving him a hard time. Assholes......

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

yeah... alonzo was talking in the press about how a team leader can't be "in the trainer's room yelling my ankle, my ankle," referring to a mild ankle sprain that kept k-mart out 5 games. martin responded to this by mumbling "my kidney, my kidney," mocking alonzo... needless to say, kenyon martin must feel like the biggest dick on the planet right now.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Alonzo was always a favorite of mine. I even named my pool cue after him.

My prayers and good wishes are with him.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Very sad that he needs a transplant

It would be wonderful if everyone who needs one could get one. Famous people can help draw attention to the need for organ donors. Everyone should consider becoming a donor if they can.

 

[Diane L]

I think the incident in which Jeff VanGundy was holding on to 'Zo's leg to try to stop yet another Knicks-Heat melee was one of the great, GREAT, New York City sports moments.
From what I've read, Alonzo Mourning has a huge heart when it comes to helping others. He's extremely involved in charity work. He's also a good family man.
I wish Alonzo Mourning and his family well, and hope he gets the transplant, or the miracle, he needs.