Every night I thank God for another day on this Earth. It's another day I can spend with me family and friends, and it's another day I get to be on the basketball court. We all, at one point or another, may take for granted the time we have here. It's sad, but it's true. We are humans, who have desires, wants, and needs, and sometimes we go through lengthy measures to fulfill our desires that are meaningless and superficial. All of us want to survive, but for what cost, what purpose, and what measure.
Alonzo Mourning is my inspiration to keep surviving every day for the love of the game. Alonzo faced adversity ever since he was a young boy. His parents divorced around the age of 10, and he was forced to live in a foster home until he went on to be the basketball superstar at Georgetown. Believe it or not, the 6'4 Mourning was bullied all throughout his time in junior high, which led to a major decrease in his confidence. People wanted him to play basketball. I mean who wouldn't want to have a 6'4 eighth grader on there team; that is just total domination right there. Unfortunately, he was very uncoordinated and just awkward, and people teased him day in and day out for the lack of ball player he was. All those negative people turned into his motivation and he worked hard to be an unstoppable player in the post, by junior year he was named the best player in the country by Sports Illustrated. No one could stop him; he was the man. At Georgetown, he was the biggest threat on defense becoming their all-time leading blocker. He was also tremendous on the glass. Behind Shaq, he was second in the 1992 NBA Draft. He went on to play for the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat, the New Jersey Nets, and then returned to the Heat in 2005.
What people may not know is that Mourning suffers from a rare kidney disease known as, focal glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). He continued to play in the NBA, but only managed to last for the 2002 all-star game because his conditions worsened. He had to sit out the 2002-2003 season, and in November of 2003 he announced to the world that he was going to retire. My mother retells the story of how the only time in her life she watched ESPN was the time to watch Alonzo say his goodbyes to the league. I can only imagine what his family and friends were feeling. His dream was coming to an end...but not just yet!
In December of '03 he received a kidney transplant. Not too long after, he realized that he needed to be on the court. Although his body certainly wasn't 100% healthy, he knew that his legacy was not over yet. Mourning went onto win an NBA championship with the Heat in 2006. His glory lasted one more year, and in 2007 he was forced to hang his sneakers in his locker and call it quits, after his knee injury.
I admire this man so much for his resilience. I, myself, suffer from asthma and have irregular breathing patterns, but I continue to persevere because great people before me did. Kidney disease did not stop him from his goal, and asthma will not stop me from mine. He proved to the world that truly nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams. We should all have that determination to never stop. If he stopped he wouldn't have gotten a Championship ring. If he stopped he wouldn't have inspired athletes like me to keep going.
I hope all of us can learn a little something from people like him. Never let adversity hinder you from success. Be resilient. Be determined. Be headstrong.
#33 will live on forever.
Alonzo Mourning Highlights
www.nhregister.com
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