Heat center Alonzo Mourning was granted formal medical clearance Thursday to return to the NBA.

Mourning, sidelined since September by a setback in his ongoing battle with an incurable kidney illness, was cleared following a physical at the South Florida offices of Dr. Victor Richards, his local nephrologist.

The examination was the final step in the nine-month process of getting the shot-blocking former All-Star back into the league for the start of next season. The physical was requested by Dr. Gerald B. Appel, the director of nephrology at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.

Appel, who has been overseeing Mourning's treatment since the center was diagnosed with focal glomerulosclerosis in October 2000, granted formal, written approval following the examination.