Mourning Sidelined by Kidney Disorder Detected in Physical

Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning will be sidelined indefinitely because of an apparent kidney disorder discovered during a routine preseason physical examination.

Further tests are planned for Mourning, 30, who missed the first four days of training camp.

“Some things popped up on his physical and blood tests that were not normal,” Heat Coach Pat Riley said. “We’re concerned about it.”

Doctors initially suspected a viral infection, thyroid condition or fatigue that resulted from a busy off-season.

Beginning Aug. 23, Mourning was on the road with the U.S. Olympic basketball team for nearly six weeks, logging more than 40,000 air miles. He went to New York, Hawaii, Japan and Australia. He crossed the Pacific Ocean four times, returning briefly to Miami for the birth of his second child, then flew back to Sydney to help the United States win the gold medal.

The All-Star center arrived in Miami early Monday after the Olympics. He attended the Heat’s media day Tuesday but has been absent since.

With a healthy roster, the Heat is regarded as the favorite in the Eastern Conference. Without Mourning, the outlook would change drastically.

“That’s our gladiator. That’s our guy,” said guard Eddie Jones, who came to Miami in a sign-and-trade deal at Mourning’s urging. “We want him back.”

“We’re all concerned because he’s our All-Star, he’s the head of our team,” said another Heat newcomer, forward Brian Grant. “We hope everything is all right, and we hope to see him in camp soon.”

Mourning’s agent, David Falk, could not be reached for comment.

Mourning finished third in voting for the NBA’s most-valuable-player award last season, when he averaged 21.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game. He has missed only seven games the last two seasons.

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The New York Knicks have drawn criticism from the Charleston, S.C., chapter of the NAACP for ignoring its boycott of the state over the Confederate flag.

“We’re disappointed that the Knicks have returned to the training location,” said Dwight James, executive director of the South Carolina Conference of Branches of the NAACP. “It’s obviously a result of the propaganda the management of the team has bought from the governor’s office and tourism officials.”

The Knicks have trained in Charleston for nine seasons. They arrived Thursday night at the College of Charleston and will stay until Monday.

“A compromise was reached,” Steve Mills, the Knicks’ executive director of operations, told the New York Daily News. “With compromise everyone is not happy. We knew that neither side would not be completely happy but we felt comfortable with the decision.”

The team supported the NAACP’s boycott last spring. But the Knicks decided to return to its camp after lawmakers voted to take down the Confederate flag flying over the state capitol.

The NAACP extended its boycott because the flag remains on the state capitol grounds, standing near a monument of a Confederate soldier.

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Sharone Wright came out of retirement to sign a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 6-foot-11 center was the sixth pick of the 1994 draft, taken by the Philadelphia 76ers after his junior season at Clemson. Wright has not played in the NBA since the 1997-98, when he appeared in seven games before being injured in a car accident. He announced his retirement in January 1999.

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The Seattle SuperSonics waived center Ed Stokes and guard James Robinson. Stokes, a 7-footer from Arizona, was a second-round choice of Miami in 1993 and played four games with the Toronto Raptors during the 1997-98 NBA season. Robinson, 30, a six-year NBA veteran, played in Greece last season.