The Charlotte Hornets’ history would have been quite different if Alonzo Mourning had not left the team. However, he was traded in 1995, sending the NBA veteran to Miami, where he was paired with legendary coach Pat Riley and other iconic players and the rest is history. Mourning and Riley still remain the most important parts of the Heat franchise, which found prominence thanks to these two iconic names.  In a recent interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the All The Smoke podcast, Mourning opened up about his disappointment in leaving the Hornets.

As per sources, there was an issue with Mourning’s salary where the franchise was not ready to dish out more money to keep a promising talent such as him. “We had an owner that wasn’t willing to make the investment…and for the lack of better words, you know he basically said I wasn’t worth the money I was asking for,” Mourning said. At that time, the owner of the franchise was George Shinn. 

Mourning was drafted by the Hornets as the No. 2 pick in 1992 and would have probably stayed for less money. However, the Charlotte Hornets were not able to properly value him. At the time of the trade, he was a 2x All-Star. Mourning shared that his former agent, David Falk, helped him get other deals with the New York Knicks, LA Lakers, and more.

He wanted to go to the Knicks to get paired with his fellow Georgetown Alumnus Patrick Ewing. But luckily, he had good friends who knew what was best for him.

Patrick Ewing helped Alonzo Mourning make history with the Miami Heat 

While he was disappointed about leaving the Hornets’, he was also thrilled about the prospect of getting paired with Ewing. The two would have been a nightmare for opposing offenses. And probably, the best possible duo that had a chance to take down Michael Jordan. However, that is when Ewing suggested Mourning should go to the Miami Heat instead and get paired with Riley.

“I had a conversation with Pat Ewing and I said, ‘Yo man…I got a chance to come to New York and play with you. I got a chance to go to LA, I got a chance to go, I think it was Indiana, and then Miami,” Mourning told Barnes and Jackson.

He further added, “And Pat was like, ‘Go to Miami,’ and I was like: ‘What? Dude we got a chance to play together man, we can play together in New York, win a championship.’ He’s like, ‘No, go to Miami, let [ Riley] build a team around you.’” The Godfather was the coach of the Knicks for 4 years from 1991 to 95, though couldn’t achieve much success due to a certain someone in Chicago at the time.

When Mourning asked Ewing about Riley’s strict methods and rules for players, the Knicks icon reassured him of his faith that he would be able to handle it. “Dude you went to Georgetown, you can handle,” Mourning recalled Ewing’s opinion. Indeed, Mourning endured and became the star center of the Heat and went on to win the NBA title in 2006.