Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning has successfully overcome a battle with Stage 3 prostate cancer after undergoing surgery to remove his prostate. This procedure was conducted in mid-March, as the former Heat and Hornets legend has been declared cancer-free after additional testing revealed the disease hadn’t spread to other parts of his body.
Mourning, who has worked with the Miami Heat since 2008 as their Director of Player Programs and Development, broke the news to ESPN while strongly advocating for men to get regularly screened for prostate cancer.
“What scares me about this disease is that there are so many men walking around feeling great and have that cancer in them and they don’t know it. The only way to find out is to get their blood tested and get their PSA checked. There are 3.3 million men living in the U.S. with prostate cancer, and many don’t even know it. I was one of those guys.”
Mourning had undergone a kidney transplant in the latter stages of his NBA career, returning to the court after a successful operation in 2003. He described the process of his prostate cancer diagnosis, triggered by rising PSA scores at a health check-up in late 2022, ultimately confirming the presence of prostate cancer after additional testing.
The 54-year-old explained the feeling of anxiousness he dealt with as he was waiting to hear if his cancer had spread beyond the prostate.
“I was in shock. I can’t tell you enough about how well my body felt. I was in top-notch shape — running sprints, strong… My partner, Mariona, is waiting for me outside the PET scan, and we are nervous as hell. I’m sitting in the machine with my arms over my head and my mind racing — waiting for the technician to read the scan. We ended up in a cold waiting room waiting for the tech to come in and finally, he looked at us and said he’s got good news: The cancer is still in the [prostate] capsule and hasn’t spread.”
This health care has sprung Mourning into becoming an active advocate for prostate cancer awareness, encouraging men to get checked out for ‘silent killers’ such as prostate or even colon cancer.
“Life was good and amazing for me, but if I had ignored getting checked and let this go, the cancer would’ve spread through my body. Unfortunately, as men, we don’t like to go to the doctor, but this is the only way to find out what’s going on in your body. Prostate and even colon cancer are silent killers and many men won’t get those diagnoses until it’s too late.”
Mourning averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks over a 15-season career in the NBA where he played for the Heat, Hornets, and Nets. He was a part of the Heat’s 2006 NBA Championship triumph and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1999 and 2000. He is a two-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-Star, and two-time All-Defense selection.
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