Sports Update Monday: Heat Legend Mourning makes it to Basketball Hall of Fame
After a career where he averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots, the 6-foot-10 Mourning will be part of the class enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday night, when the surest bet in sports will be that his speech will exceed the 10-minute recommendation he was given for his remarks.
“I think I deserve it,” Mourning said, laughing.
Few would disagree.
He was a seven-time All-Star, is one of only eight players to win the defensive player of the year award at least twice, an Olympic gold medalist and has already had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Heat in a star-studded ceremony that went way longer than planned, slightly raising the ire of an Orlando Magic team that wasn’t planning on a never-ending halftime that night in 2009.
“He had to be the first one to have his jersey retired by this franchise,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “He earned that, many times over.”
But Mourning’s story is more about the journey than any statistic or award.
Mourning was one of the best big men of the last few decades, combining a strong offensive game with a tenacious defensive presence. He went to the All-Star Game seven times, won Defensive Player of the Year twice, and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1999.
Mourning was drafted No. 2 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1992, right behind Shaquille O’Neal. Mourning was a Hornet for three seasons, but he rejected a contract extension and was traded to the Miami Heat, where he spent most of the rest of his career.
Mourning dealt with a kidney disease late in his career, and he was forced to retire in 2003. However, he received a kidney transplant and returned to the NBA, ultimately winning his only NBA title with the Heat in 2006. He also won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in the 2000 Summer Olympics.