Shaquille O’Neal Reconciled with Alonzo Mourning When They Played Together for the Miami Heat

Shaquille O’Neal has been dropping some gems on The Big Podcast with Spice Adams and Nischelle Turner. In the latest episode, the conversation about the Russell Westbrook-Patrick Beverly beef is brought up amidst Beverly’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. O’Neal talks about being in the same situation with former Miami Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning.

“I had beef with Alonzo Mourning,” O’Neal said. “Then when he came to the Heat, I had to sit him down and apologize to him. I said, ‘You know what Alonzo, I was a hypocrite. I never knew you were this great.’ Alonzo Mourning is a great dude. ”

Before becoming teammates, O’Neal and Mourning had a public beef that stemmed from competitive fire. As the first two overall picks in the 1992 NBA Draft at the same position, it was only natural that the two were pinned against each other. O’Neal went as far as saying his rivalry with Mourning compared to the Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain rivalry.

However, the two playing with each other in Miami led them to alter the course of their friendship. Mourning was the backup center behind O’Neal, and occasionally played power forward to have the two pair up on the court. O’Neal averaged 20 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Mourning averaged 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. The combination of O’Neal and Mourning teamed with Dwyane Wade brought Miami its first championship in franchise history.

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.