Alonzo Mourning is
Forced to Retire
Alonzo Mourning's ailing kidney will keep him from playing again in the NBA.
His biggest concern was not for himself but for letting the team down
At 33, Mourning will need a transplant and the team said a nationwide search is under way for a prospective donor.
Jason Kidd, teammate and friend recalls a
conversation with Mourning, "The big person that he is, he was very soft-spoken," Kidd said.
"He felt that he was maybe letting me down in the sense that he came here to try and win a championship and he came here because of me."
Mourning lasted just 12 games in his return to the NBA after sitting out last season and large portions of two others because of
his illness.
The disease attacks the tiny filters in the kidney that remove waste from the blood. That makes the kidney spill protein from blood into the urine. The resulting damage can lead to kidney failure, which requires dialysis or a transplant.
The disease was detected in
2000. he was with the Miami Heat.
Dr. Gerald Appel of Columbia University Medical Center, said
that his kidney function has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks.
"It is no longer medically safe for him to play basketball," Appel said. "Although he still feels well, the chemical imbalances in his blood make it dangerous for him to play."
It was not immediately clear if Mourning might be able to return to the court if he undergoes a successful transplant, team officials said.
Article taken from the Associated Press