Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr is a former National Basketball Association (NBA) star and, more recently, a cancer survivor. Born on February 8, 1970, in Chesapeake, Virginia, to Alonzo Mourning Sr and Julia Hadnot, Mourning’s talent on the high school basketball team was undeniable. His junior year saw him help lead the team to a state title, and his senior year was marked by impressive averages of around 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 blocked shots per game. His exceptional performance earned him the title of Player of the Year by USA Today, Parade, and Gatorade by the time he graduated from Indian River High School in Chesapeake in 1988.
Mourning then attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he played on the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team coached by John Thompson. He also played alongside future NBA star Dikembe Mutombo. During his freshman season, Mourning started all 34 games for the Hoyas, averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and led the nation in total blocked shots (169) and blocks per game (5.0). During his senior season, he averaged 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.0 blocks per game. Mourning also received numerous awards during that season, including Consensus First-Team All-American and Big East Conference Player of the Year. He was also named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Mourning finished his college career with 2,001 points, 1,032 rebounds, and 453 blocked shots.
In 1992, Mourning entered the NBA Draft and was selected 2nd overall by the Charlotte (North Carolina) Hornets. He remained with the Hornets until he was traded to the Miami (Florida) Heat during the 1995-1996 NBA season. During the 2003-2004 season, Mourning signed with the New Jersey Nets (Now Brooklyn Nets). While there, he was diagnosed with a kidney disease that forced him to retire from the NBA briefly. After undergoing a successful kidney transplant, he returned to the Miami Heat during the 2004-2005 NBA season, where he helped his team win their first NBA championship against the Dallas (Texas) Mavericks during the 2005-2006 season. Mourning remained with the Heat until he officially retired from the NBA in 2009 at the age of 37. Following his retirement, the Miami Heat retired his number 33 jersey the same year. He was also named to the Hampton Roads (Virginia) Sports Hall of Fame in May 2009.
In 2011, Mourning and other NBA players played a basketball game for President Obama’s 50th birthday at the White House. Three years later, Mourning was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2019, he would be named to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Hall of Fame. The Atlantic, a sports journalism website, named Mourning the 69th most outstanding player in NBA history.
After his retirement as an active player, Mourning became Vice President of player programs and development for the Miami Heat. In 2024, Mourning was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer but became cancer-free following prostatectomy surgery. Alonzo Mourning married Tracy Wilson Mourning in 1997. The couple had three children together before they divorced in 2019. Mourning is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.