Mourning Honored for Haitian Relief Work

DALLAS -- There was one image Alonzo Mourning never will forget. It spurred him on to be even more benevolent.

Mourning, the humanitarian and former NBA All-Star center, had rushed to Haiti after last month's earthquake. He soon saw an infant rescued from a destroyed structure.

"There was a three-month-old child when I was there three days after the earthquake that was pulled from the rubble,'' Mourning said Sunday in an interview with FanHouse. "The child had broken ribs and they took off the child's diaper and it had maggots in the child's diaper. That stimulated me to want to come back and to give more just for the Haitian community.''

Mourning now has made three trips to Haiti, and has donated more than $1 million to the cause. He is planning a fourth trip later this month.

Mourning's charity work in Haiti, as well as throughout his career, is why he was awarded the NBA Legend of the Year Award on Sunday at the annual Legends Brunch during All-Star Weekend.

Mourning said he doesn't do his work for awards, and sometimes shies away from receiving them. But one reason he wanted to receive this one is for the memory of Wayman Tisdale, the former NBA forward who received the award last February due to his courageous battle with cancer that resulted in having part of his right leg amputated. Tisdale died last May.

"This award represents Wayman and his family,'' Mourning said. "I couldn't turn down this honor because of that.''

"We need to do more since the cameras have gone and the momentum has stopped. The need is even greater now than it was several days after the earthquake.''
- Alonzo Mourning Mourning has worked with his former Miami teammate, All-Star guard Dwyane Wade, in Haitian relief. Mourning is involved with the organization Project Medishare, and is in the process with it of building a 100,000 square foot medical facility.

"Very inhumane, deplorable conditions,'' Mourning said when asked to describe Haiti after a very recent visit. "We need to do more since the cameras have gone and the momentum has stopped. The need is even greater now than it was several days after the earthquake.''

During All-Star Weekend, Mourning is trying to put together a web site along with NBA players where donations can be made over the next several years. For now, Mourning said one can donate on the sites www.amcharities.org and www.projectmedishare.org.

"He's a really righteous person,'' former NBA star Spencer Haywood said about Mourning, whom he has worked with during NBA rookie orientations. "Alonzo is always there where there is tragedy, and that's what he's all about. He's the kind of guy who doesn't look for thanks.''

But Mourning got it Sunday. He was presented his award in a hotel with about a thousand onlookers by NBA commissioner David Stern.

"This terrific young man makes us all proud to be members of the NBA family,'' Stern said.

During his speech Mourning quoted both Mahatma Ghandi and Muhammad Ali, one of his idols.

"Ali once said ... 'Service to others is the rent that you pay on this earth,''' Mourning said.

Mourning's rent has been paid in full, and more.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson