The fans of the Miami Heat can regularly tune into ‘The OGs’ podcast hosted by Udonis Haslem, as the Heat legend tells stories about the franchise alongside former teammates and champions. His latest guest was 2006 Champion Alonzo Mourning, and they discussed the topic of arguably the best player to wear a Heat jersey – LeBron James.
Mourning is in awe of what LeBron is still achieving in the NBA. Despite being over 10 years removed from his departure from the Heat, Mourning, alongside Haslem and Mike Miller, gushed about LeBron’s greatness for his longevity on the podcast.
Alonzo Mourning: “First of all, it was an honor to be in the front office and witness a part of his legacy. Now, I have a newfound respect.
Mike Miller: “I agree.”
Udonis Haslem: “He’s in MVP conversations.”
Alonzo Mourning: “He’s 40 years old, and to do what he’s doing right now, it’s unheard of.”
Mike Miller: “I love this dude. People asked me when I left Cleveland how many more years he would do this. At that time, I said maybe two or three years. His numbers now are better than they were when he won MVP in Miami. It’s unheard of.”
Udonis Haslem: “And by the way, his team is No. 2 in the West. They winning.”
Alonzo Mourning: “He’s shooting 52% from the field right now, averaging 25 points per game. It’s incredible. The jumping ability. The constant jumping, pounding, banging, and rigors of the sport – how’s he able to do this at 40? I think he’s an alien. He’s from another planet.”
Mike Miller: “Zo, I tell him, and he gets mad every time. I tell him he’s a test tube baby. A 100% they went in there and were like *beep beep* look at this guy.”
Udonis Haslem: “When I saw that boy get on the scale and it said 265… I was a power forward and I was only 240 pounds. I was a power forward underwight by 25 pounds.”
Mike Miller: “We played Indiana, he had like 46-16-9, whatever, it goes to overtime and he plays 52 minutes or something. He weighed 265 before, he weighed 271 after the game. That’s why I’m saying he’s not real. He just scored his 50,000th point. The fact that he’s 40. If you told me to go run right now, I’m in trouble.”
Gushing about LeBron’s longevity is not surprising. We’ve literally never seen any NBA player even come close to replicating the kind of form LeBron has over a 22-year NBA career. His career is remarkable, as he’s destined to hold the title of the league’s all-time leading scorer for generations to come.
Players like Mourning, Haslem, and Miller were LeBron’s peers. Mourning has been a Hall of Famer for the last 11 years; that’s how incredible LeBron’s longevity has been. They’ll likely continue to sing praises about the same as they saw firsthand the work James put in to maintain his body and physique.
The four-time champion is averaging 24.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists this season.
He tied Vince Carter for most consecutive NBA seasons this season, a record he’ll likely shatter in October when he tips off for his 23rd NBA season. He’s wrestled with retirement before, but with his son alongside him and a genuine chance to contend for a title, it’s unlikely he calls it quits this summer.
Whenever he does, we’ll be happy to know we gave him our flowers, just as his former Heat brethren did in this clip.
