NBA champion and two-time Defensive Player of the Year — overcame a kidney transplant to win a championship.
Alonzo Mourning was born in Chesapeake, Virginia in 1970. Charlotte Hornets selected him second overall in the 1992 NBA Draft from Georgetown where he followed Patrick Ewing as the program's dominant center. His career produced 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game along with seven All-Star appearances. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award twice (1999, 2000). He was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis — a kidney disease — in 2000 that caused him to miss significant time and eventually require a kidney transplant from his cousin Jason Cooper in 2003. He returned to play full seasons after the transplant — one of the most remarkable medical comebacks in professional sport. He won the NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 as a reserve alongside Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. His career — two Defensive Player of the Year awards, overcoming a kidney transplant and winning a championship — is one of sport's most complete stories of athletic excellence and personal perseverance.
Elite shot-blocking, defensive dominance, and leadership during Miami Heat championship run
How They Played
Dominant defensive center with shot-blocking prowess and mid-range scoring
Lasting Impact
One of the greatest defensive centers in NBA history and franchise icon
NBA Champion (2006)
Career Honours
- NBA Champion (2006)
- Defensive Player of Year 2x (1999,2000)
- All-Star 7x
- All-NBA Second Team 2x
- Hall of Fame (2014)