| Mourning's No.33 retired |
 |
 |
 |
| Monday, 06 April 2009 03:07 | |||
|
Former Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning has become the first player in Heat franchise history to have his number mounted in the rafters of the American Airlines Arena. The Miami Heat retired Mourning’s No.33, on Monday. The 39 year old is the franchise leader in points (9,459), rebounds (4,807) and games played (593). He also won two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Mourning, who was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, following the 1999-2000 season, described the retirement of his number as “probably one of the greatest moments of my life,” as he addressed the crowd at halftime at a Heat game in Orlando. Mourning’s speech followed a number of persons’ including Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who honored Mourning and highlighted his chartable work. Basketball great Patrick Ewing, and legendary Hoyas coach John Thompson also spoke well about the NBA star. Heat president and former coach, Pat Riley also lauded the former player. A teary-eyed Mourning said he was “truly humbled, and I'm honored to be the first in franchise history...to have his number retired.” In addition to the honor of having his number retired, the Heat's weight room was re-named Zo's Zone as a tribute to Mourning. The team also presented him with a crystal jersey and a painting. Following a kidney transplant in late 2003, Mourning returned to the court with the Nets, then the Raptors, before he went home to the Heat to complete his career. Mourning is one of the few basketball players who are loved and respected by the community on and the court.
|
You may send a trackback for this article by using the following Trackback link
Trackbacks provided by Trackback for Joomla