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January 22, 2009
Volatile in Charlotte, Zo grew kinder in Miami
I don’t know whether Alonzo Mourning ever played in a school band, but I have little doubt what instrument he would have played. Everything about Zo said a giant set of cymbals. Percussion was his thing. Mourning retired Thursday after 15 NBA seasons, the first three as a Charlotte Hornet. Somewhere between high school in coastal Virginia and college at Georgetown, he decided the best way to deal with variables was to act as intimidating and volatile as possible. That worked well enough on the basketball court because few were going to mess with him. In a John McEnroe sort of way, he often performed better when angry. The problem was he couldn’t separate his on-court and off-court personas. So when the world inconvenienced Zo, the world should change, not Zo. He once demanded a female reporter, (now-Sacramento Bee columnist Ailene Voisin) who wasn’t even talking to him, leave the locker room while he changed clothes. Voisin told him off and things got ugly fast. A day later the league demanded Mourning apologize. All of us who’d faced the wrath of Zo enjoyed hearing that lesson in manners and humility. Later I asked Mourning a question as he walked off the court at shoot-around the morning of a game. Players are supposed to be available for interviews at shoot-around; it’s standard procedure. Instead of taking 30 seconds to answer the question, Zo spent three minutes admonishing me. Once he stopped venting, I reminded him he’d just wasted a net 2½ minutes of his precious time. Years later I reminded Zo of that conversation and I was glad his reaction was to laugh at himself. He outgrew the rage that enveloped his personality in Charlotte. He learned patience and tolerance in Miami, rounding into a wiser, kinder person. I’m glad I got to witness that evolution
Posted by Observer Sports on January 22, 2009 at 06:57 PM | Permalink
Comments
Ok, I'll re-state the same thing on this post after the last entry regarding Zo was deleted. Great. Thanks for the info, although the Whore-nets no longer play here and most fans would rather not bring them in up considering the split from the city.
Now, got any news regarding the team that plays here now?
Posted by: Irony | Jan 22, 2009 8:48:51 PM
Zo is an NBA legend, i'll never forget that beastly block he had in the finals with the Heat. Have some respect Irony!
Posted by: Vieira Bhoy | Jan 23, 2009 5:52:01 AM
I'll restate the same thing I said on the deleted post irony. You do not speak for most fans!
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 23, 2009 7:30:03 AM
Mourning is (or at least was) a selfish jerk. I had the opportunity to attend a charity event that Larry Johnson sponsored in Charlotte about 15 years ago. After the event, the NBA players were supposed to come down and 'mingle' with the fans that paid $100+ for their tickets. Most of the players came through and at a minimum signed autographs. Mourning came through, guarded by his 'posse' with his arms in the air to avoid being touched. "Let me eat, let me eat" he said as he walked to the buffet. He ate, he left and never acknowledged one fan. Perhaps his kidney illness has humbled him but this is the one lasting memory of him I will have.
Posted by: sascol | Jan 23, 2009 8:08:55 AM
Good point, Bobby. But do you either?
Posted by: Irony | Jan 23, 2009 8:39:28 AM
Perhaps, like many of us Zo just grew up. We need to remember these guy's are in their early twenties when they start their careers, young and filthy rich what do you expect? Hell, I was young and broke and I had my issues.
Posted by: Chris G. | Jan 23, 2009 9:11:26 AM
when zo came to charlotte i was very young, in elementary school, but even i knew then he was pretty rude. growing up there was a resturant uptown in 4th ward called simmons that MANY of the players used to eat at. i remember seeing him one day wanting an autograph, he walked RIGHT past me. my cousin once saw him at the barber shop & asked for one & he snapped at him. i agree with sascol,maybe it WAS his illness that humbled him,but some things you never forget as a child & these events definitely helped to shape my views of him from then on!!
Posted by: theloveformycity | Jan 23, 2009 10:36:44 AM
I am a Miami native living in Charlotte for the past 2 years and I call myself a huge Heat fan. I have no thoughts on how he was in his first 3 NBA years here in Charlotte but I have nothing but admiration the last 12. He came to be known as a true leader that formed the Heat's persona of toughness and defense, especially those first few years of the Heat rivalry with the Knicks. D Wade will probably be the best Heat player of all time but Mourning is my favorite.
In Miami, Mourning was definitely known for being a tough interview and NOT signing autographs but what he did for the community overwhelmingly outweighed that. Regarding interviews I can understand Mournings feelings as he usually wore losses on his sleeve and was a sore loser. I wish players making millions would take losing as much as he did, although I didn't agree with the fights that he had once in a while with other players.
Regarding autographs I didn't really agree with his opinion on that but I could understand if he is constantly being bothered during dinner, which he was between the Marino and Wade years as the #1 athlete in S Florida.
Besides donating millions of dollars and time to the improvished areas of Miami he was an inspirational story to millions of others by just attempting to come back from kidney transplant. His donations to schools and parks in and around Miami are one of the major reasons why drug use is down in Miami and kids have a reason to be optimistic about their future. He is probably a prime reason of why Overtown is now a habitable place to live in.
I will NEVER forget you Zo and it pisses me off seing people talk bad about you!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Singer | Jan 23, 2009 1:20:56 PM
No I don't speak for most fans either irony. I was simply making the point that none of us can speak for everyone.
Posted by: Bobby | Jan 23, 2009 1:55:10 PM
Can anyone fault Zo for going off on Ailene "Poison" Voisin? 90% of Sacramento would relish the opportunity to do the same thing.
Posted by: Sacramento resident | Jan 23, 2009 2:17:34 PM
What the heck is wrong with wanting a female to step out while a male athlete is changing? That's just an idiotic statement. If I were a journalist, would it be ok for me to interview WNBA players when they are changing in the locker room?
I think there's just really something wrong with the way the writer would even include that in this article...
Would you want a male reporter in the locker room of your daughter as she changed clothes? Foolish...
Posted by: Leo | Jan 23, 2009 2:19:20 PM
"Once he stopped venting, I reminded him he’d just wasted a net 2½ minutes of his precious time."
No wonder nobody in the Bobcats organization will talk to you.
Posted by: Johan | Jan 23, 2009 3:32:22 PM
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