Alonzo Mourning (Image Source: YouTube/@The Big Podcast)

Following the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a former NBA champion and Olympic gold winner talked candidly about receiving a kidney illness diagnosis. Following a successful kidney transplant, Alonzo Mourning momentarily retired before returning.

Mourning was questioned about his struggle with a rare kidney disease during an interview on Shaquille O’Neal’s “The Big Podcast.” He had always taken good care of his body and was in excellent form, so he was taken aback.

Mourning said, “Once I found out, man, I was shocked. Simply because I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. How could this happen to me? So when you think about it, statistically, after educating myself on kidney disease over the years, there’s almost 37 million Americans who suffer from chronic kidney disease.”

Alonzo Mourning helped Team USA capture another gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Before the 2000–01 NBA season, though, Mourning wasn’t feeling well and was concerned about having swollen legs. After a thorough examination, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis was identified as his condition.

It was a rare kidney condition that affected the organ’s filtration mechanism. After undergoing therapy, he could participate in the remaining 13 games of the season. That year, he helped the Miami Heat qualify for the playoffs. However, Mourning took the whole 2002-03 season to recover from the gruesome disease. He also had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2024.

Alonzo Mourning Believes Nikola Jokic Has Revolutionized Modern-Day NBA Centers

They still identify a few standout players, even if the current NBA center plays differently than Alonzo Mourning and O’Neal did. In the podcast, Mourning praised Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.

Mourning said, “I think the Joker has kind of revolutionized our position. He really has. Because he has incredible touch. The hooks that we had inside, little turnarounds and the up and unders, he’s got the footwork and everything, same stuff we used to do.”

The Hall of Fame big man recognizes Jokic’s infrequent shots from beyond the arc. However, he observed that he makes shots on time, unlike other players with a “heavy volume of shots.” Mourning chastised large guys who depend too much on their shooting from outside. Centers and power forwards who make a lot of 3-pointers, he said, don’t make the most of their size.