TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – Less than a month after retiring from the NBA with a kidney disease, former New Jersey Nets center Alonzo Mourning will undergo kidney transplant surgery Friday in New York, his agent said.

Mourning will receive the kidney from an unidentified family member, agent Jeff Wechsler said Thursday. The former All-Star had received dozens of offers from prospective donors around the country following the announcement last month that he needed a transplant.

“Alonzo will receive his kidney from a family member and wants to thank all those who offered to donate a kidney to him for their generosity,” Wechsler said in a prepared statement. “He appreciates all the well wishes and encouragement he’s received from fans all around the world.”

and asks that the public respect his privacy at this time.”

Mourning, 33, announced his retirement from the Nets on Nov. 24 because of complications from focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. He was diagnosed with the disease before the 2000-2001 NBA season when he was with the Miami Heat.

Mourning missed the first 69 games of that season, but played the full 2001-02 season, averaging 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. He missed all of last season. He played in 12 games this season for the Nets, averaging 8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.9 minutes.

In a 12-year career, the former Georgetown star was a seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA defensive player of the year.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, known as FSGS, affects the filters of the kidney that remove toxins from the urine. It frequently does not produce symptoms and can only be diagnosed through a kidney biopsy.

In the weeks before his retirement, tests showed that Mourning’s kidney function had deteriorated and that the chemical imbalances in his blood made it dangerous for him to continue playing.

There is no single cause of FSGS, but factors such as hypertension, extreme obesity, intravenous drug abuse and HIV have been associated with the disease.

According to Dr. Ira Greifer, a professor of pediatric nephrology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York and the president of the Kidney and Urology Foundation, about 20 percent of patients who receive a transplant suffer a recurrence of FSGS.

Mourning’s open discussion of his plight is credited with focusing attention on FSGS, a rare and incurable illness that was considered untreatable as recently as 15 years ago. More than 1,500 requests for information about kidney disease and organ donation have been received by the Kidney and Urology Foundation since Mourning’s retirement announcement, according to foundation spokesman Barry Baum.

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On the Net:

Kidney and Urology Foundation: http://www.kidneyurology.org

New Jersey Nets: http://www.nba.com/nets

AP-ES-12-18-03 1509EST