Fox Sports Net's documentary series BEYOND THE GLORY on Sunday, March 24 at 8:00 p.m., continues with a profile of current Miami Heat and former Charlotte Hornets and Georgetown star Alonzo Mourning.
Though quite at home on a basketball court, the seemingly invincible Mourning has faced his share of challenges off the court. As this episode of BEYOND THE GLORY chronicles, Mourning's success has certainly come at a price. Despite the fame and fortune he's achieved, Mourning's journey hasn't been easy nor without pain.
Born in Chesapeake, Virginia in 1970, Mourning grew fast and quickly outgrew both his clothes and his classmates, often making him the object of ridicule. An unhappy child, Mourning's parents divorced when he was eleven. As a result, his first court battle took place not on a basketball court, but in Custody Court. The judge gave Alonzo the option of living with either one of his parents. But Mourning shocked everyone by opting to be placed in the state's foster care system instead.
After bouncing around the system, mainly at various boys' homes to his dismay, Mourning eventually ended up at the home of Fannie Threet. Threet was known around Chesapeake as the Queen Mother. Mourning was just one of 49 foster children raised by Threet, but for Mourning, the bond was immediate and he knew he found a home to his liking.
While chronicling his achievements and disappointments on the basketball court, BEYOND THE GLORY, as is its signature, delves deeper into the story, to explore what it's been like living in his big shoes. Along with the emotional scars that Mourning carries around with him, a physical scar has shaken him as ferociously as one of his dunks. In 2000, Mourning was diagnosed with a kidney disease called Focal Glomerulosclerosis that has no known cure.
People interviewed for this episode of BEYOND THE GLORY in addition to Mourning include: NBA stars Tim Hardaway and Patrick Ewing, coaches Pat Riley and John Thompson, his high school coach Bill Lassiter and Mourning's wife Tracy. Here are some of the quotes from the one-hour show:
Mourning:
(on his decision to live in a foster home after his parents divorce): "I was just looking for some answers back then and I didn't want to be around that type of atmosphere. I wasn't a happy child."
"I try not to think of those days. I try to put it behind me and I did. I had to go through the court system and everything, but it's not like my family didn't want me, it's not like I didn't want them. I just wanted to start anew."
(on learning from doctors that he had a rare kidney disorder): "My head just falls in my hands and I'm like, I cannot believe this. So the first thing I ask him is this: 'Well, Doc, am I going to live?' He says, 'Yes. You'll live.' I say, Well, fine. Whoa. That's good news and then I asked him is there a cure for this and he says, 'No.' He said there's no cure for it at all."
(on ending up with a woman who over the years adopted almost 50 wayward children): "I stayed with her one night and there was just some positive energy in her household that I was comfortable being around. So, I decided to stay there."
"I started calling her Mom after about a week's time. Everybody called her Miss Threet and everybody, a lot of people called her Nanny. But I called her mom."
Thompson:
(on Mourning's association with a drug dealer at Georgetown) "I never, ever thought Alonzo was using drugs. I never, that never even crossed my mind in the relationship with him. It was more so the association that I had a concern with."
Riley:
(on Mourning's suspension for a Game Seven after fighting with Larry Johnson): "I think that was the final nail in the coffin of immaturity for Alonzo Mourning."
Accomplished actor and voice-over artist D.B. Sweeney narrates Fox Sports Nets BEYOND THE GLORY series. Sweeney, who brought to life the voice of Aladar in the film Dinosaur, starred in such films as Eight Men Out, Memphis Belle and The Cutting Edge.
The second season for BEYOND THE GLORY, FSN's highest-rated weekly show, features 20 original programs and is now a Fox Sports Net in-house production under the direction of executive producers Frank Sinton and Steven Michaels.
Future original episodes of BEYOND THE GLORY include: Vince Carter (March 31), Gary Sheffield (April 7), Lawrence Taylor (April 14), Dale Jarrett (April 21) and Kobe Bryant (April 28).
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