Former Miami Heat basketball star Alonzo Mourning has always been a towering presence in Miami, and not just because he’s 6 feet 9 inches. In addition to his oft-chronicled athletic prowess, Mourning is known for his unwavering efforts to improve the lives of impoverished Miami children.

His civic commitment bodes well for the Miami Transplant Institute at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miller School of Medicine. Mourning announced in September that he’s serving as the institute’s spokesman. Mourning has a unique take on organ transplantation, having helped propel the Heat to the 2006 NBA championship while playing with a transplanted kidney.

Flanked by Andreas Tzakis, M.D., Ph.D., founding director of the Miami Transplant Institute, and Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., dean of the Miller School, during a news conference on the Miller School campus, Mourning discussed his latest altruistic endeavor.

“I know firsthand that transplantation saves lives, and I want to lend my voice and influence to build the Miami Transplant Institute into a world leader in clinical care and research,” said Mourning, who congratulated the institute for the 7,000 kidney transplants it has performed. “I am a huge believer in the work done by Dr. Tzakis, and I share his vision for the future. Together as a team, we can have a championship in the medical world.”

In 2000 Mourning was diagnosed with focal glomerulosclerosis, a rare kidney disease. He mitigated the impact of his ailment with medication for three years, before receiving a donor kidney in 2003.

Mourning discussed the obstacles he faced following his transplant surgery, and how he was taken aback by the high cost of antirejection drugs. That experience spurred him to create Zo’s Fund for Life, a campaign seeking to raise $2 million for research, education, and testing to help combat focal glomerulosclerosis.

“It was a big hurdle coming back to basketball while taking my anti-rejection medication,” Mourning recalled. “I was struggling with trying to run up and down the court and push around 200- to 300-pound guys, so I can imagine what it must feel like for a child.”

Started in 1979, the transplant program has grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive transplant centers internationally. The Miami Transplant Institute is ranked fifth in the nation among transplant programs. Its surgeons perform dozens of kidney, liver, heart, and pancreas transplants, as well as more than half of the complex multivisceral transplants performed worldwide.

“Alonzo Mourning is a true champion,” Goldschmidt said. “The Miami Transplant Institute could not have a better person on its team to lead the charge for state-of-the-art care for our patients and breakthrough research that could one day eliminate the need for lifelong antirejection drugs.”