Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images
Anthony Mason, described as the rugged power forward who became a defensive force in the NBA from the early 1990s into the early 21st century has passed away. He was 48.
His death was confirmed earlier on Saturday by New York Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz, and was first reported by the New York Daily News. In early February, the 6-foot-7 powerhouse NBA star suffered a heart attack.
Mason had many claims to fame, but there were a handful that really stood out. He won a Sixth Man Award in 1995 with a Knicks team, won an all-defensive-team honors with the Charlotte Hornets who he played with until 2000, and made an All-Star team in 2001 as a member of the Miami Heat. He provided a significant toughness alongside Charles Oakley while surrounding franchise center Patrick Ewing which helped make him an athlete people loved in New York. He represented a certain kind of perseverance for all players that were fighting for their chance to make it in the NBA.
The determined defenseman was drafted in the third round out of Tennessee State in 1988 by Portland, but he never got a chance to play for the Trail Blazers. After playing briefly overseas, he played several games, 21 to be exact, for the New Jersey Nets and the Denver Nuggets, before he finally made it on to the Knicks with Pat Riley’s defense-first Knicks in 91. He was a driving force for them as they made a run to the 1994 NBA finals, where they would ultimately clash with other top Eastern Conference teams, including Michael Jordan’s Bulls.
In the summer of 1996, he was dealt to Charlotte in a trade that brought Larry Johnson to New York. With them, he played three strong seasons in four years, missing out on the 1998-99 season due to an injury, before former coach Riley brought him to Miami. Playing on with the Heat would benefit him, especially since they were a team that played with the same style as the Knicks teams Mason flourished with.
While at Tennessee State, Mason was dominant in his game, and was the school’s first All-Ohio Valley Conference selection. In the 1987-88 season, prior to being drafted, a took a school-record 247 free throws.
Born on Dec. 14, 1966 in Miami Florida, he attended high school in Queens, NY, where his son Anthony Jr. would play later on for St. John’s University, before embarking on a professional career in the minor leagues and overseas. His other son, Antoine, is currently at Auburn after transferring from Niagara, where he graduated after finishing second nationally with a little over 25 points per game last season.
The legend that is Mason will continue to live on through fellow teammates from the various teams he was a part of. As a vital part of the NBA making strides on and off the court, he should be seen as an inspiration for up and coming NBA athletes, as well as those trying to make a difference now.
