Alonzo Harding Mourning is his full name. He was born in Chesapeake Varginia, on Febuary 8, 1970. He weighs 260 pounds and is 6 foot 10 inches tall. When Alonzo Mourning was only 12 years old he parents split up and he was sent to a foster family of 49 children. The mother of the foster kids was Fanny Threat. He was in junior high when he decided to start really playing basketball. When he was 16 years after his high school season he was asked to play in the Five Star Basketball Camp where the best high school kids come and compete. After the camp he took Indian River High school to the State Championship, the very next year. He scored an amazing 21.8 point per game, along with is 9.6 rebounds and 11 rebounds per game. He had many colleges he could have gone to, some consisting of Maryland and Georgia Tech but in the end he chose Georgetown, as the college he should go to, some what because of his high basketball coach, who was the recruiter for the USA olympic basketball team. Alonzo traveled around with Virginia's AUU and he went to their State Tournaments which he played in and scored another amazing 27 points. He was averaging about 13 points a game in his rookie year with the Hoyas. He lead them to the Championship of the Big East against Duke, and had a disappointing
loss.
Later he was forced to change his position from center to a power forward. Dikembe Mutombo took over the center position because of his height advantage and of few other things. At first Alonzo was not clicking with his new position but soon found his groove. Then he strained the arch in his foot and had to sit out the rest season. By the time the next season had rolled around he had still one year left before he could get his degree in socializing. He decided instead of entering the 1991 draft with his friend Dikembe Mutombo he would stay at Georgetown and finish his degree. While he was getting his degree, he was also ruling the basketball world. With his friend Dikembe gone he could take back the center position and compete with the LSU center Shaquille O'Neal.He was determined to be the best center in college. Another name I forgot to mention that helped georgetown was Patrick Ewing. Who was one of Alonzo's role models while at Georgetown. Alonzo wasted no time after Mutombo left scoring an average of 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 5 blocks per game. He won the Defensive player of the year, Big East player of the year, and Tournament MVP. Which those honors are very hard to get and to get them all at once that is a real accomplishment.
Alonzo entered the 1992 NBA draft and was picked by the New Orleans Hornets, the 2nd overall pick just behind Shaquille O'Neal. He did many great things for the Hornets but the next year he would be a free agent. Alonzo wasn't going to sign back with the Hornets so they traded him to the Miami Heat. He has been with the Miami Heat for 7 years earning over a 100 million which was in his contract of a 7 year period of time with the Heat. Him and Ewing are the only ones to get 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in their careers. He is one of basketball's greats. He can drive and dribble and do a lot of damage down low. Don't expect to get anything past him because he is a blocking machine. Anything that goes up is knocked down. He is in on every play, either screening, driving or making his move in the low post. He had some pretty awesome teammates to get him this far while with the Hornets his rookie year he and Larry Johnson were bringing in the crowds. Yes he and Larry were showing what they could do. Alonzo was putting up numbers and showing everyone their is someone besides Shaquille O'Neal , that is here to play ball. He and Shaq were the main two picks for the All-Rookie First Team. They both were heating it up from the center position blocking everything. After only 49 games with the Hornets he was leading the NBA in shots blocked. He is still doing that this time for the New Jersey Nets, showing his shot blocking abilities off to his other opponents. Alonzo Mourning sadly has retired November 25, 2003 because of kidney trouble.
