Anthony Mason

Lore & Background

Mason played collegiately for Tennessee State University and also played professionally in Turkey, Venezuela, the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and the United States Basketball League (USBL). He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft (53rd pick) but was cut shortly afterwards. He played for the Efes Pilsen basketball club in Turkey and Marinos de Oriente in Venezuela. In the 1990–1991 season, Mason played 26 games for the CBA's Tulsa Fast Breakers, averaging 29.9 points and 14.8 rebounds per game. In 1991, he played for the Long Island Surf of the USBL, was named to the All-USBL First Team, averaging 27.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and set a league record with 28 rebounds in a game. He was included in the USBL's 'All-15 Team' in 2000. Mason signed with the New York Knicks in the summer of 1991. On March 26, 1993, he scored a then career high 30 points with 16 rebounds in a win against the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1994, the Knicks reached the NBA Finals but lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets. Mason won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award 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 were traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Larry Johnson. In his Charlotte debut on November 2, 1996, he recorded 18 points and 15 rebounds in a win over the Toronto Raptors. On February 17, 1997, he scored a season-high 28 points (on 11 of 11 shooting), grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded 9 assists in a win against the Orlando Magic. 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. In the first round of the playoffs, he averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds, but the Hornets were swept by the Knicks. Following the season, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. During the 1997-98 season, Mason helped the Hornets advance past the first round of the playoffs, averaging 19.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in a 3–1 series victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets were then eliminated by the Chicago Bulls. Mason missed the entire 1998–99 season due to a ruptured bicep. In the 1999–2000 season, he averaged 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Reader's Guide

Mason appeared in the TV series New York Undercover in two episodes, playing himself in one. He also played a pickup player in the 1996 film Eddie, and himself in Woody Allen's Celebrity. He appears in the Diamond D hip hop video 'Best-Kept Secret.' The Beastie Boys song 'B-Boys Makin' with the Freak Freak' from 1994's Ill Communication mentions him. The Notorious B.I.G. song 'I Got a Story to Tell' has been alleged by rapper Fat Joe to involve Mason, but the identity of the player in the song is contested and unclear from the source.

Did You Know?

• Mason led the NBA in minutes played in both the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons.
• He recorded his only NBA triple-double on March 31, 2000, with 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Toronto Raptors.
• Mason's son, Anthony Mason Jr., played for St. John's University and later tried out with the Miami Heat.
• He was named to the USBL's 'All-15 Team' in 2000, celebrating the league's best players from 1985 to 2000.