NBA Legend Cancer-Free After Removing Prostate: “I Was in Shock”

Alonzo Mourning, a seven-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, recently underwent surgery to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with Stage 3 prostate cancer. The diagnosis was made possible through routine prostate cancer screening, which Mourning credits with saving his life. In an interview with ESPN, Mourning shared his personal journey and emphasized the importance of getting regular PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood tests to monitor oneself for prostate cancer. Mourning’s diagnosis came as a surprise, despite his family history of prostate cancer. His father and grandfather had both been diagnosed with the disease, making him more vulnerable to a positive diagnosis. However, it was not until he had a routine conversation with his urologist at a social event three years ago that he began regular visits to a urologist in South Florida. A rise in PSA scores led to an MRI screening, which revealed “shadows” in the imaging and necessitated a biopsy. The biopsy results showed a Gleason score of eight, indicating a high grade of prostate cancer. “And Dr. Punnen tells me, ‘I want to get a PET scan immediately to make sure cancer hasn’t spread through your body,'” Mourning told ESPN. “I was in shock. I can’t...