Life as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is tough. One of the toughest in the game is Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat. During his three NBA seasons Mourning has developed into one of the game's dominant big men, as his selection to the "Dream Team II" squad, which won the World Basketball Championship in 1994, shows. He also helped make the Charlotte Hornets one of the NBA's elite teams and is doing the same for his newest team, the Miami Heat. A tough guy on the court, he is a gentle giant in real life, serving as a spokesperson against child abuse.

Growing up

Rough start

Alonzo Mourning Jr. was born February 8, 1970, in Chesapeake, Virginia. He lived with his natural parents, Alonzo Sr. and Julia, until he was 12 years old. His parents then divorced. "My parents were getting a divorce," Mourning recalled in Sports Illustrated...