Anthony George Douglas Mason (December 14, 1966 – February 28, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. In his 13-year career he played with the New Jersey Nets,

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 13-year NBA career. Mason earned the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substit ...

in 1995 and led the NBA in minutes played in the following two seasons. In 1997, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He was selected to the

2001 NBA All-Star Game The 2001 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game which was played on February 11, 2001 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., home of the Washington Wizards. This game was the 50th edition of the North American National Basketball As ...

. Mason was a member of the 1993-1994 New York Knicks team that reached the NBA Finals. Mason played collegiately for Tennessee State University and also played professionally in Turkey, Venezuela, the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA), and the United States Basketball League (USBL).

Basketball career

Early years

Mason attended Tennessee State University and was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the third round of the

1988 NBA draft The 1988 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1988, in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds. This was also the first draft for the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, prior to their i ...

(53rd pick), but was cut shortly afterwards. He then played for the

Efes Pilsen Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.''(lit. Anadolu Efes Brewery and Malt Industries)'' produces and markets beer and malt and non-alcoholic beverages in a wide geographical area comprising Turkey, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independe ...

basketball club in Turkey and

Marinos de Oriente Marinos B.B.C., also referred to as Marinos de Anzoátegui, is a professional basketball club based in the port city of Puerto la Cruz, located in the Venezuelan Anzoátegui State. The team currently plays in Venezuela's Liga Profesional de Balonc ...

in Venezuela and had brief NBA stints with the New Jersey Nets and the

. In the 1990–1991 season, Mason played 26 games for the CBA's Tulsa Fast Breakers, with whom he averaged 29.9 points and 14.8 rebounds per game in his only season in the league. Also in 1991, Mason played as a power forward for the

Long Island Surf The Long Island Surf were a professional basketball team based in Long Island, New York. They played 14 seasons in the United States Basketball League (USBL). History The franchise was established in 1985 as the Long Island Knights, and played ...

of the USBL. In his one season with the Surf, Mason was named to the All-USBL First Team, averaging more 27.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and he set a league record with 28 rebounds in a game. Ed Krinsky, general manager of the Surf, said, "I really believed he could play in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

. He was a huge guy with backcourt skills". Later that year, Mason was already on the New York Knicks' summer league roster, with Pat Riley as coach. In the year 2000, in celebration of the USBL's 15th anniversary, USBL fans voted on the "All-15 Team," a collection of the best USBL players from 1985 to 2000, many of whom went on to become renowned NBA stars, with Mason included among the 15.

NBA career

New York Knicks

Mason signed with the

in the summer of 1991. Under coach Pat Riley, Mason blossomed in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he became part of a strong frontcourt alongside Patrick Ewing,

Charles Oakley Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association ( ...

and Charles Smith. On March 26, 1993, Mason scored a then career high 30 points, along with grabbing 16 rebounds, in a 105–95 win against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. In 1994, the Knicks reached the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

for the first time since 1973, but lost in seven games to the

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Ass ...

-led

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. Mason won the

in 1995. He led the league in minutes played in 1995–96 with 3,457, setting a Knicks team record. In 1996, Mason and

Brad Lohaus Bradley Allen Lohaus (born September 29, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Boston Celtics in the second round (45th pick overall) of the 1987 NBA Draft. A 6'11" center-power forward from the Univer ...

were traded to the

for Larry Johnson.

Charlotte Hornets

In Mason's Charlotte debut, on November 2, 1996, he recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 109–98 victory over the Toronto Raptors. On February 17, 1997, Mason scored a season high 28 points (on 11 of 11 shooting from the field), grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 9 assists in a 124–110 win against the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. In the 1996–1997 season, Mason recorded career high averages in minutes played (43.1), points (16.2), rebounds (11.4) and assists (5.7). He led the league in minutes. Despite a strong personal showing in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 13 points and 12 rebounds a game, Mason and the Hornets were eliminated by his former team, the Knicks, in a sweep. Following the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. During the 1997-98 NBA season, Mason took a slight step back with regards to averages, but was still a solid starter, and helped the Hornets advance past the first round of the NBA playoffs by averaging 19.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during a 3–1 series victory over their division rival Atlanta Hawks. The following round, the Hornets were eliminated by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

and the Chicago Bulls. Mason missed the entire 1998–99 season due to a ruptured bicep. The following year, Mason averaged 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds in the 1999–2000 season. On March 31 of that season, Mason recorded a triple-double with a career high 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists, in a 110–101 win against the Raptors. Again despite a strong personal season, Mason and the Hornets would be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, this time by the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

Miami Heat

In 2000, Mason was traded to the Miami Heat along with

Eddie Jones Edward, Eddie, or Ed Jones may refer to: Architecture * Edward Vason Jones (1909–1980), American neoclassical architect * Edward Jones (English architect) (born 1939), English architect who designed the Saïd Business School * Edward Jones (Wel ...

Ricky Davis Tyree Ricardo Davis (born September 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for University of Iowa. Biography Davis atten ...

and Dale Ellis for

Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Sr. (born November 29, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed the "Monster Mash", Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Assoc ...

P. J. Brown Collier "P. J." Brown Jr. (born October 14, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The , center/ power forward was selected out of Louisiana Tech University by the N ...

, Tim James, Rodney Buford and

Otis Thorpe Otis Henry Thorpe (born August 5, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an NBA All-Star in 1992 and won an NBA championship with the Houston ...

. In Miami, although Mason had been brought over by Miami coach Pat Riley to be a role player on what was thought to have been a contender Heat team, the kidney ailment of

Alonzo Mourning Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Miami Heat since June 2009. Mourning played most of his 15-year ...

forced Mourning to sit out and made Mason a starter for the team. Mason would respond by finishing second on the team in scoring, with 16.1 points per game, and averaging 9.6 rebounds. With Mourning and

Grant Hill Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player who is a co-owner and executive of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended Duke University and is widely considere ...

selected but unable to play due to injury in the

, Mason was chosen to represent the Heat in his only selection to an All-Star team. Mason helped the Heat make the playoffs with a 50 win season for the injury-ravaged squad. Mason, however, virtually disappeared in the playoffs, taking only 13 shots and averaging a mere 5.3 points and 3 rebounds in three games. Mason was waived during the offseason.

Milwaukee Bucks

Mason signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2001–02 season. In Mason's first season with the Bucks, the team stumbled to a 41–41 record (11 games worse than the previous season) and missed the playoffs altogether. Mason's numbers went down as well: 9.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg. Nonetheless, Milwaukee stuck with Mason for another year, waiving him after the 2002–03 season. Mason retired from the NBA in 2003.

Media appearances

In the TV series '' New York Undercover'', Mason appeared in two different episodes, playing himself in one. He also plays a pickup player in the 1996 film '' Eddie'', and himself in Woody Allen's '' Celebrity''. In addition, Mason appears in the Diamond D hip hop video "Best-Kept Secret," dunking his way through the video on a New York City playground basketball court. The

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

song "B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak" from 1994's '' Ill Communication'' album mentions him with the lyric "I got my hair cut correct like Anthony Mason".

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

song " I Got a Story to Tell" tells of the supposed event of the rapper sleeping with the girlfriend of a New York Knick in the player's home, and the fall-out that came with the player returning home while the story teller was still present. The identity of the involved player has been contested since the song's release, with many long suspecting the Knick in question to have been

John Starks John Levell Starks (born August 10, 1965) is an American former professional basketball shooting guard. Starks was listed at 6'5" and 190 pounds during his NBA playing career. Although he was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four ...

, Mason's teammate of several years. The player in question was alleged, decades later, to be Mason, by rapper

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

Personal life

Mason was born in Miami, Florida, and spent most of his childhood in New York City in the borough of Queens. After being charged with statutory rape in 1998, Mason pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Mason's son, Anthony Mason Jr., played on the

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

Red Storm basketball team. He completed his eligibility for the 2009–10 St. John's Red Storm, and he went on to try out with the Miami Heat, before playing for teams such as the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Cholet Basket. Another son,

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, played basketball at

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

after transferring there from

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

, where he led the 2012–13 Niagara Purple Eagles in scoring as a redshirt sophomore.

Death

Mason had a heart attack in early February 2015 and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He died on February 28, 2015, in New York City at the age of 48.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1989–90 , style="text-align:left;", New Jersey , 21 , , 0 , , 5.1 , , .350 , , —, , .600 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990–91 , style="text-align:left;", Denver , 3 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .500 , , —, , .750 , , 1.7 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1991–92 , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 0 , , 26.8 , , .509 , , —, , .642 , , 7.0 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 0 , , 30.6 , , .502 , , —, , .682 , , 7.9 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1993–94 , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 12 , , 26.1 , , .476 , , .000 , , .720 , , 5.8 , , 2.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1994–95 , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 11 , , 32.4 , , .566 , , .000 , , .641 , , 8.4 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .3 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 42.2 , , .563 , , —, , .720 , , 9.3 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .4 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 73 , , 73 , , 43.1 , , .525 , , .333 , , .745 , , 11.4 , , 5.7 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 16.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 81 , , 80 , , 38.9 , , .509 , , .000 , , .649 , , 10.2 , , 4.2 , , .8 , , .2 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1999–00 , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 82 , , 81 , , 38.2 , , .480 , , .000 , , .746 , , 8.5 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .4 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;", Miami , 80 , , 80 , , 40.7 , , .482 , , —, , .781 , , 9.6 , , 3.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;", Milwaukee , 82 , , 82 , , 38.3 , , .505 , , 1.000 , , .697 , , 7.9 , , 4.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;", Milwaukee , 65 , , 58 , , 32.6 , , .486 , , .000 , , .718 , , 6.4 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 7.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 882 , , 559 , , 34.7 , , .509 , , .167 , , .709 , , 8.3 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 1 , , 0 , , 20.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 0 , , 24.0 , , .442 , , —, , .786 , , 6.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , .7 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 0 , , 34.0 , , .590 , , —, , .632 , , 7.3 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .4 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 0 , , 26.4 , , .489 , , —, , .714 , , 5.8 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 32.0 , , .608 , , .000 , , .623 , , 6.2 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .5 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 43.8 , , .526 , , —, , .679 , , 7.8 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 3 , , 3 , , 43.7 , , .421 , , —, , .538 , , 12.0 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 9 , , 9 , , 40.8 , , .576 , , .000 , , .595 , , 7.9 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .0 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 4 , , 4 , , 44.8 , , .474 , , .000 , , .700 , , 9.8 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, style="text-align:left;", Miami , 3 , , 3 , , 32.7 , , .385 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, style="text-align:left;", Milwaukee , 6 , , 0 , , 26.2 , , .412 , , —, , .692 , , 3.3 , , .2 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , 27 , , 32.2 , , .524 , , .000 , , .668 , , 6.6 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.5

References

External links

NBA biography of Mason
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Anthony 1966 births 2015 deaths African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basketball players from Miami Charlotte Hornets players Denver Nuggets players Marinos B.B.C. players Miami Heat players Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association All-Stars New Jersey Nets players New York Knicks players Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Sportspeople from Queens, New York Tennessee State Tigers basketball players Tulsa Fast Breakers players United States Basketball League players 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people

Basketball career

Early years

NBA career

New York Knicks

Charlotte Hornets

Miami Heat

Milwaukee Bucks

Media appearances

Personal life

Death

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links