The man who would be the first NBA player to kneel during the National Anthem, LeBron James has been at odds with President Trump in recent days. This morning on CNN’s “New Day”, he spoke about how he is not letting petty things get him down and will continue to do what’s right for his family and country.
The “did alonzo mourning win a championship” is a question that many basketball fans have been asking. The answer to this question is no, but it was the team’s first year in the NBA.
Throughout his storied career, NBA Hall of Famer Mourning, Alonzo was a fan favorite. His tenacity and never-say-die mentality made him a popular character in every city he visited, and nothing exemplified that more than when he suffered a career-ending knee injury during his last season with the Miami Heat.
Mourning knew it would be the final time he stepped on an NBA floor, so he refused to be carried away on a stretcher into retirement.
When Alonzo Mourning damaged his knee in 2007, he felt his career was gone.
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Mourning’s NBA career was coming to an end by the 2007-08 season. At the time, he was 37 years old and only played approximately 15 minutes each game for the Heat.
But, before he got a chance to say farewell, his career ended in the 25th game of the season.
Mourning leaped up to block a shot against the Atlanta Hawks and fell awkwardly on his way down.
“I felt like my foot slid when I planted,” Mourning remarked after the game, according to ESPN. “However, everything occurred so quickly. It was true. I didn’t even bother to look at the tape. From what everyone else who was watching remarked, it seemed that I had slid.”
While writhing in anguish on the ground, Mourning thought his career was ended.
“We attempted to pull him up, and he simply shouted, ‘It’s done, it’s over,’” recalled Udonis Haslem, one of his teammates.
Mourning was absolutely correct. He tore the patellar tendon in his right knee, and it was his last appearance in an NBA jersey. He, on the other hand, was not going to take the easy way out.
Mourning refused to be carried off the court for the last time.
Alonzo Mourning, a former Miami Heat big man, watches a game versus the Los Angeles Lakers | Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Heat rushed out a stretcher to take Mourning back to the locker room after he suffered a significant knee injury. However, the Hall of Famer refused to board.
That wasn’t how I imagined going off the floor for the last time in my career. In my life, I’ve gone through a lot. I would have crawled off the court if I had to. Nobody was going to drag me off the court on a stretcher. That was not going to be the case.
Alonzo Mourning
Mourning, on the other hand, rose up and wrapped his arms around Dwyane Wade before limping back to the bench. He was going to walk off the field one final time on his own feet after 15 amazing seasons in the NBA.
A laudable legacy
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Mourning will be remembered for more than simply being a Hall of Fame center who won two Defensive Player of the Year honors and had a championship ring on his finger. He’ll also be recognized as one of the hardest and most tenacious players in NBA history.
After being diagnosed with a rare kidney condition, the Miami star retired in 2003, but after obtaining a life-saving transplant, he returned to the league a year later and played for five more seasons.
Mourning eloquently summed up his whole career with one daring act in his last minutes on an NBA floor.
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RELATED: Shaquille O’Neal Likened Alonzo Mourning to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, But Appropriately Buried the Hatchet: ‘It Doesn’t Matter When It Comes to a Life-or-Death Situation’
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“If I Had to Crawl Off the Court, I Would Have” is a quote from former NBA player, Alonzo Mourning. Mourning retired in 2003 and now works as a commentator for the Miami Heat. Reference: alonzo mourning retired.
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