No. 33

Photo by Joe Rimkus, Jr./AP

Few people outside of my family make me swell with pride as much as Alonzo Mourning does. His intensity and all-out effort on the court for his team, his super-human courage in dealing with a life-threatening disease, coming back and literally winning the decisive Game 6 of the NBA Finals for the Miami Heat in 2006. That was his last glorious stand on the NBA hardwood.

As Greg Cote writes in today's Herald, Zo's greatest accomplishments have and will be off the court. Few athletes citizens give back so much to their adopted community the way Alonzo Mourning and his family have. As much as his basketball exploits have stood out during his career, it's this aspect of Mourning that makes me swell with pride today as a Miamian, and every time I hear his name. The Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde provides additional supporting documentation here.

Congrats, Zo. It is long deserved.