Alonzo Mourning Deserve A Miami Heat Statue Next
Mourning was one of the originators of the "Heat Culture"
The Miami Heat are one of the NBA’s most respectable franchises. They made 24 playoff appearances and won three championships as a result of continued postseason success.
They have also featured a multitude of great talents.
On Friday, former Heat player and captain Udonis Haslem had his No. 40 jersey retired. Five days before that, Heat president Pat Riley revealed that legend Dwyane Wade will be receiving a statue outside of the Kaseya Center. All obviously well-deserved.
While LeBron James would likely be the next player to have his Heat jersey hung in the rafters once retired, who’s next to receive a statue? Many have pointed to Alonzo Mourning.
After spending the first three years in the league with the Charlotte Hornets, Mourning was traded to the Heat, with whom he elevated his career to extreme levels. In his first season there, he averaged a career-high 23.2 points, a then career-high 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks. Near the end of the season, he even turned in his lone 50-point game against the Washington Bullets.
He also helped the Heat make the playoffs after missing out of them the previous year. Even though they lost in the first round to the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, he averaged 18 points, six rebounds and one block in the three games played.
During the next six seasons, Mourning was an essential piece to the Heat organization as he logged in 19.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest. He also established himself as one of the elite defenders in the NBA. He averaged three blocks a game and led the league in that catergory in 1999 and 2000, averaging 3.9 and 3.7 blocks, respectively. He, of course, made the NBA All-Defensive First Team and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in both those seasons.
A lot of people, including former player and teammate Tim Hardaway, believe Mourning was one of the orginators of the “Heat Culture”, which is hard to debate. Before he joined Miami, they only been to the playoffs twice in the existing seven years and finished above .500% just once. While he was on the roster, they made the postseason six straight times, including a Conference Finals appearance.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a kidney disease which kept him away from all basketball activites for the entire 2002-03 campaign. Still, not long after he re-joined the Heat in 2004, he won his first championship in 2006.
Although it’s unknown if he’ll get a statue, it’s safe to say he deserves one.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s “Wiz of Awes”. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson and Instagram @ckenzynelson