Originally Posted by TSN.ca

Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, out since December 19 with a torn patella tendon in his right knee and a torn quadriceps in the same leg, said in an interview with the team website Monday that he has decided to retire.

Mourning had already announced in July that the 2007-2008 season would be his final one in the NBA, and after suffering his injuries while attempting to block a shot in the first period of Miami's December 19 game at Atlanta, the 16-year veteran has opted not to try and rehab himself for another season.

"Yes. I'm retired," Mourning said. "This is it for me."

Mourning averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 24 games for Miami before his injury. For his career, Mourning has averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 837 games with the Charlotte Hornets, New jersey Nets and Miami.

Coming out of Georgetown University, Mourning was selected by the Hornets with the second overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He was a seven-time NBA All- Star and collected back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1999 and 2000.

Originally Posted by South Florida South-Sentinel

Although Alonzo Mourning is expected to retire in the wake of the devastating knee injury he sustained Dec. 19 in Atlanta, neither the center nor the Heat say that retirement is official.

An interview posted, and then removed, Monday on the Heat's web site, Heat.com, quoted Mourning as saying, "Yes. I'm retired. This is it for me."

Shortly after those comments appeared on several wire services, Heat spokesman Tim Donovan said, "A mistake was made and it's not an accurate story and it's been pulled, with our apologies."