Alonzo Mourning will forever have his #33 remembered, as the Miami Heat retired his jersey during Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic.  Mourning is the first player to receive this honor from the Heat, a team that started as an expansion franchise in 1988.  Mourning started his NBA career with a different expansion team, the Charlotte Hornets, when he was chosen with the 2nd pick out of Georgetown in the 1992 draft.  Mourning helped the Hornets win their first playoff series in his rookie season, but only played three seasons before being acquired by the Heat.  Mourning lead the Heat to six playoff appearances and a conference finals series before leaving due to health issues with his kidney.  After receiving a transplant, he returned to the game and finally became an NBA champion as a member of the 2006 Heat team.  He played in eleven seasons with the Heat, was a seven time All-Star, two time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and one of the greatest shot blockers of all time, ranking 6th all time with a 2.81 BPG career average.

Vlade Divac watched his #21 raised to the rafters of ARCO Arena during Tuesday’s contest between the Sacramento Kings and the visiting New Orleans Hornets.  Divac played six seasons for the Kings, helping turn one of the worst teams in the league into title contenders.  Divac’s first year with the Kings came in the 1998-99 lockout season, where the Kings were able to reach the playoffs.  The year prior, the Kings had a 27-55 record.  That started a playoff run for the Kings that lasted eight straight seasons which included a league leading 61 win season and a trip to the conference finals.  Divac is one of only 3 players to accumulate over 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocks.  The other two players are Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.