The next morning, the Heat representatives arrived early to prepare. Riley, Elisburg, coach Erik Spoelstra, Alonzo Mourning, owner Micky Arison and his son, Nick, then a vice president, showed up 45 minutes before James. Riley paced the hallway with nervous energy. The velvet bag with the rings came out again. During the presentation, Mourning shed tears talking about the organization’s support when he needed a kidney transplant and the joy of later winning a title. But two pieces anchored the pitch: the explanation of playing in Florida, where there’s no state income tax (and what that would save in salary and endorsement income), and the plan to unite James, Wade and Bosh.
Alonzo Mourning Rumors
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Alonzo Mourning
Position: -
Born: 02/08/70
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:261 lbs. / 118.4 kg.
Earnings: $143,906,333 ($215,551,783*)
Born: 02/08/70
Height: 6-10 / 2.08
Weight:261 lbs. / 118.4 kg.
Earnings: $143,906,333 ($215,551,783*)
SLAM: Who’s the most competitive guy you ever played with? Tim Hardaway: Are intense and competitive the same thing? If so, I’ll say Alonzo Mourning. By far Alonzo Mourning. Intense. Never wanted to lose. If he missed a jump hook in shoot-around or practice, he’d be like, Give me that ball back, give me that ball back. He had to make that jump hook the same way before Coach Pat [Riley] could talk. It was amazing. That’s how competitive he was. He wanted everything to be right. When he was out there, he wanted everything to be 100 percent right. He didn’t want any mistakes. Alright, let’s do it again, let’s do it again. I got to get it. Let’s do it again. Until he gets it right about two or three times and then he’s alright with it. He was very competitive on our team.
Many have pointed to Adebayo as the next Heat icon — a lineage that includes Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade. And, as expected, Adebayo isn’t afraid of those expectations either. “You don’t want to be that one guy that can’t carry the load or isn’t ready to carry the load because it’s going to be a point in your career where it’s going to be your show,” Adebayo said. “So you have to put your big boy pants on and you got to go out there and produce, and I feel like I’ve done that so far this season. I feel like I really shouldered a lot of weight off of Jimmy [Butler], so Jimmy is not such the focal point. Just getting him easy buckets or just let him take a play off.
“I’ve been with UD for three years, I’ve been with D-Wade for a year and a half, and just seeing a Zo all three years, it’s a big respect factor when those three type of guys say that you’re next in line. I’m just trying to do the very best I can to fill that legacy. Try to bring a championship, that’s my goal.”
“Alonzo [Mourning] got in the Hall and that’s great, but Tim was our best player. A lot of people would tell you in Golden State, Richmond and Mullin got in, and numerous basketball people tell me Tim was their best player. I’m not saying those other guys don’t belong there, they do. I’m just saying Tim belongs with them.”
29 Mar
Ira Winderman: Among former Heat players expected tonight at Wade event are Ray Allen, Dorell Wright and Alonzo Mourning. And, yes, of course UD.
Adebayo is heading to his first All-Star Game. He is in line for a huge contract once his rookie deal expires. He has reoriented Miami’s present and future. “He’s the Zo [Alonzo Mourning],” Riley says. “He’s the UD [Udonis Haslem]. He’s the Dwyane [Wade]. They were standard-bearers. Bam is that person. He is the real deal.”
Former NBA champions Bruce Bowen, Shawn Marion and Alonzo Mourning, as well as eight-time NBA All-Star and NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, visited China last week to start the festivities early, conduct basketball clinics and interact with underprivileged children.
Last week, Mourning participated in a GuardianLife-sponsored HORSE shootout with a CUNY basketball player with a disability. In discussing his past health struggles — he had a kidney replacement at the prime of his career — and how “disability is not inability,” Mourning reminisced about his mindset at that moment from 2006 that has since gone viral. “I’d like to think I was actually talking to myself,” Mourning said. “It was actually kind of comical to see myself.”
During the game in question, with his team trailing by 30, Mourning scored just one point and pulled in a meager two rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor. “Did you see the score?” Mourning asked. “If you look at the score of the game, you can see why I had that facial expression. I’m somebody that hates to lose. I don’t like to lose in anything. Anything.”
30 Oct 19
26 Oct 19
13 Oct 19
08 Sep 19
Trey Mourning, son of Heat executive Alonzo Mourning, worked out for Heat officials on Wednesday at AA Arena, according to a source. Mourning, a 6-9 forward, averaged 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 26 games for Georgetown last season (including 11 starts). He played entirely off the bench his first three seasons with the Hoyas.
Ira Winderman: Miami Heat planning pre-draft workout for Alonzo Mourning’s son. sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… Georgetown forward Trey Mourning already has had pre-draft workouts with the Wizards and Kings.
Riley: Now would be the time to offer him a max contract [Laughs]. But I don’t think it’s a money thing with him, he wants to go out on his terms. He’s played above and beyond expectations this year. He’s handled everything flawlessly without pointing the finger at himself and saying this is all about me. It’s been a beautiful ride. Mourning: I remember when he was just a kid, all he would eat was hamburger and french fries. I would try to get him to eat vegetables. I’ve watched this man grow up into a father, a husband, a leader, a philanthropist, Now, he’s able to end this chapter of his life the way he wants to end it. Not a lot of athletes are able to do that. I’m so happy he’s able to do that. He will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest athlete to come out of South Florida. Riley: There’s been a handful of athlete in this city that have left their mark, but there isn’t any mark by anybody else bigger, any footprint bigger, anybody after their career bigger than Dwyane. Anthony: He can still continue playing if he wanted to. I think he’s made peace in his decision. This is the perfect time for him to go out.
Udonis Haslem: LeBron James had the best basketball IQ I’ve ever seen from a player. The way I see the game now, I know everybody’s position. I know where everybody should be. I know what everybody should be doing. When I’m looking at the defenses, I’m not just looking at the man that’s guarding me. I’m looking at the other four defenders on the floor. That’s something I learned from LeBron. Alonzo [Mourning] always told me, ‘Every player in this league is one trade, one coach and one injury away from being a role player to a superstar to out of the league.’ I always took that with me. Shaquille [O’Neal] told me, ‘Whatever your routine is, stick with it. When you have bad games, people want to go change their routine. What am I doing different? No. Stick with your routine. Believe in your routine. Believe in yourself. Believe in what you’ve been doing.’
Charlotte Hornets PR: With 4 rebounds tonight, @hornets F Marvin Williams has passed Alonzo Mourning for 7th on the franchise’s all-time rebounding leaderboard. Has 2,179 for his Hornets career #Hornets30
Jorge Sierra: Atlanta’s John Collins is leading all sophomores in PER and damn close to averaging 20 and 10. Last players to average 20-10 in second pro year: Olajuwon, Barkley, Malone, David Robinson, Larry Johnson, Shaq, Mourning, Antoine Walker, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, Blake Griffin, AD, KAT, Embiid. John Collins: 👀😎
Former NBA All-Star and Miami society fixture Alonzo Mourning is getting divorced from wife Tracy after 22 years of marriage, Page Six has learned. Sources say the pair — who have three children together — quietly separated a couple of months ago and are now planning to file for divorce. We’re told it’s quite a topic of conversation around the Heat offices, where the team’s former star center now works in player development.
Along with Riley, Heat owner Micky Arison, CEO Nick Arison, general manager Andy Elisburg and team executive and former player Alonzo Mourning were among those representing the organization in Charlotte for Wade’s final All-Star Weekend. “It’s great, man. I’m not the kind of person that like expects things,” Wade said of the support he’s received from Heat brass during the weekend. “When things happen, like [Thursday’s dinner] when I walked on the red carpet and saw Pat there — I didn’t expect Pat to be there because I didn’t know a lot about the dinner. I appreciate people taking their time to come and support me. The Miami Heat organization, big Andy, they’ve been at everything I’ve done my whole All-Star career, my whole off-the-court endeavors and supported a lot of the things I’ve done. So I’ve been appreciative of that and I will continue to be appreciative of it.”
“What Riley taught his players was to compete with an intent to dominate and annihilate your competition, mentally and physically,” Alonzo Mourning said. “When he coached the Knicks, he planted that seed. Then he coached the Heat and he planted that same seed. He literally built two monsters.” “Mirror images,” Ewing said.
“Pat used to get mad when he was the Knicks’ coach and I’d go out with Alonzo and Dikembe,” Ewing said, tossing in Mutombo, another Georgetown veteran. “He’d tell me, ‘You got to stay away from those guys.’ But whenever we played, starting with the summer workouts at Georgetown, we’d try to kill each other.” Alonzo Mourning said, “And at the end of the day, it was family,”
Wilkins: And your balance is there. I started jumping off two feet by accident. And it was against Milwaukee. I went baseline. First I faked it and I came back down and I jumped, and Bob Lanier was coming. I brought it back and came back, I didn’t realize what I did until I saw the film. Bob Lanier didn’t speak to me for nine years. What? Carter: Same thing with Zo. Wilkins: He said, ‘I didn’t want to speak to you. I just started liking you again.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘When I had to go home and my daughter said, ‘How you let that little skinny kid dunk you?’ I said, ‘I hated your ass.’ Carter: Zo didn’t talk to me for five years. From that dunk.
Richard Jefferson: My favorite thing to do was to dunk on people. Alonzo Mourning. Chris Bosh. Nenad Krstic. Shelden Williams. Kevin Willis. Mark Madsen. Jonas Valanciunas. I would search those out. When I would see new big men come into the league, my favorite thing was to try and get ’em. I could have an open 3, and I would slow down my pump-fake to pull in a defender just so I could go get that big. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Edy Tavares. Klay Thompson. It was just so much fun, and I was extremely blessed to have such a good string of health that it allowed me to do it in latter parts in my career. When I dunked on MKG, I just put him in a body bag, and I was 34 years old.
Around the 46-minute mark of a podcast appearance with Bill Simmons, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst told a remarkable story about how the Heat offered McGrady his contract nearly 20 years ago (via The Ringer): “They bring him down on a private jet and they bring him to Alonzo Mourning‘s house on the same day. And they have drinks and they hang out and you know Zo was, like, one of the coolest guys in the league. He still is one of the coolest guys in the league. They’re chilling at Zo’s house and all of a sudden, this speedboat pulls up. And Zo says, ‘Hey Tracy, let’s go for a ride.’ They get into the speedboat. They hit go and the speedboat goes 80 miles an hour across Biscayne Bay, zapping by the arena, downtown Miami, beautiful. It pulls in to Pat Riley‘s house down the cove. And Riley’s standing there holding the max contract offer.”
27 Oct 18
Darius Miles: Now, imagine this …. two dudes from East Saint and the Wild Hunneds on a WaveRunner in the summer of 2000, going back to Zo’s crib to tell him we crashed his damn Jet Ski into his neighbor’s damn speed boat. That was the old NBA. That was before they wised up. That don’t exist anymore.
Charlotte Hornets: Which historic Charlotte basketball players make YOUR 30th Anniversary team? Stephen Curry: Easy. Curry, Bogues, Johnson, Mourning, Walker!
What about the idea of Haslem becoming an assistant coach? He has said that doesn’t interest him. But he said when he retires, he would have interest in a Heat front office job. Former Heat players Alonzo Mourning, Shane Battier and Keith Askins all have jobs within the organization.
03 May 18
The Heat have repaired Wade’s messy divorce from the franchise in 2016, when he bolted when the Bulls offered more money. “It’s been great, but it’s been great the whole time we were together,” Elisburg said. “It was an incredible, magical time having Dwyane be a part of the Miami Heat. He’s been such a huge part of the history here. He’s the greatest player in the history of the franchise. Obviously, we’ve had lots of incredible players here who have had incredible seasons, including, obviously, LeBron, who won MVPs here. And Shaq [O’Neal]. And Zo [Alonzo Mourning]. “But if you look at the body of work over the period of time which Dwyane stuck with the franchise, I mean, it’s unquestioned he’s the greatest player in the history of the franchise. You’re just talking about just a special person and player. So, like all things when you’re together, you appreciate things and maybe you didn’t realize things until you see them more, and I think we both appreciate each other and the fact that we’re back together again.”
Shandel Richardson: Bosh sitting next to Alonzo Mourning and Glen Rice.
The season opener is important to Ewing, obviously, but it seems to mean even more to his family and friends, some of whom weren’t convinced this day would ever come. On Sunday, the Ewing support group will be out in full force. Georgetown greats Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson are expected to attend.
The Heat are going to look like those 1990s teams that featured Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway this month. No, Mourning and Hardaway aren’t making comebacks. Instead, the Heat will sport their Nike “Classic Edition” jerseys for most of their games this month starting with Wednesday’s home contest against the Bulls.
The Heat made a strong presentation to free agent Gordon Hayward on Saturday and emerged believing it went very well. Hayward was greeted by five Heat players – Hassan Whiteside, Udonis Haslem, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson and free agent James Johnson. He also met with president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, Alonzo Mourning and several other coaches and executives.
Mourning was impressed with how last season’s team turned an 11-30 start into a 30-11 finish, missing the playoffs by one game. And he believes Miami would have been the team facing Golden State in the Finals and not Cleveland if Bosh were healthy. “Obviously if Chris was playing healthy it’s a different story in the Eastern Conference with us,” he said. “We probably go through Cleveland. … Right through them. We probably beat them. We really do. I think we had enough tools to get it done. “Can you image if Chris was healthy. Not just with Hassan (Whiteside). Goran (Dragic), what he did this year. And Dion (Waiters) and then JJ (James Johnson). Oh my God. If you put a healthy Chris Bosh with all of them, that’s scary team against Cleveland.”
Now, 22 years and four make overs later, Mourning, the organization’s vice president, is confident Riley will succeed once again as the Heat officially move on from the Big 3 era. “This is going to be even more special,” Mourning told the Palm Beach Post. “I think this is going to be even more special considering how it all fell apart,” Mourning continued, referencing the departures of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh’s health.
But Mourning is confident Riley will find the right combination for the Heat to be back near the top of the conference, regardless of the quality of the free agent class. And one reason is what he is witnessing this off season. “There’s enough out there to make it work,” he said. “It’s enough out there to get us back again. Listen, this team and the pieces that we have, the coaching staff, the culture that we have, the mentality of the guys coming here. … unseen before guys coming in this early this summer.
