Jamal Mashburn

The Monster Mash brought scoring and toughness to Miami's late-1990s playoff runs.

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 Association (NBA), with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game.

Quick Facts

Born: 29 November 1972
Birthplace: The Bronx, New York, U.S.
High school: Cardinal Hayes (The Bronx, New York)
College: Kentucky (1990–1993)
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 4
Drafted by: Dallas Mavericks
Career position: Small forward

Lore & Background

Mashburn was traded to the Miami Heat on February 14, 1997, from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Kurt Thomas, Predrag Danilović and Martin Müürsepp. In the 1997 playoffs, the Heat defeated the Orlando Magic in the first round, then won a seven-game series against the New York Knicks. Miami made its first ever Conference Finals against the defending champion Bulls. The Heat lost the first three games of the series before managing a win in Miami in game four, with Mashburn scoring 17 points. The Bulls won the series in the fifth game in Chicago.

Reader's Guide

Mashburn played for the Miami Heat from 1997 to 2000. He averaged 13.4 points in 30 starts in the 1996–97 season. Injuries limited him to 48 games in 1997–98 (15.1 points per game), 23 starts in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season (14.8 points, 6.1 rebounds per game), and he averaged 17.5 points per game in 1999–2000, including a career-high 112 three-point field goals. After the 1999–2000 season, Mashburn and teammate P. J. Brown were traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Eddie Jones and Anthony Mason.

Did You Know?

Mashburn scored 17 points in the Heat's lone win against the Bulls in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals.
Mashburn averaged 10.2 points in his first postseason with the Heat.