Celebrity - Mourning's book touches on recruiting issues

All-Star NBA center Alonzo Mourning says he wrote his book, "Resilience," to inspire people to overcome challenges, but the book is likely to get the NCAA's attention, too.

Mourning, who overcame kidney disease and played professional basketball after a kidney transplant, wants his 231-page book to help other people, much like Lance Armstrong's battle with cancer inspired others.

"Lance was one of the people who inspired me to write this book," Mourning said in an interview with The Associated Press. "He played a big role in my overall approach to coming back and playing the game, reading both of his books, learning more about his life, his experiences and how he dealt with adversity."

But "Resilience" also touches on how Mourning was recruited as a star high school player. He writes that Maryland, Syracuse, Virginia and Georgia Tech all recruited him intensely and courted him with clothes, shoes, dinners at ritzy restaurants and a trip to a strip club. "Everyone understood I could have gotten money at any of these places. The message was sent," Mourning writes.

Mourning also writes about his kidney transplant, the help his wife received from actor/comedian Bill Cosby in getting an education, and his faith. Some of the proceeds from the book will be donated to kidney transplant programs and research.

Source : USAToday