(Getty Images/NBA)
Anthony Mason, the tough forward who helped power the bruising New York Knicks teams of the 1990s, died on Saturday. The former NBA player suffered a major heart attack earlier this month. He was 48. Earlier this week, Mason’s family had said he was “getting better” following surgeries on his heart, but the retired athlete was unable to pull through his medical crisis.
Mason is best remembered for his time with the Pat Riley-coached Knicks teams featuring Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley and others. They never captured an NBA title, but memorably battled the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls and other teams with a gritty, physical, defensive-minded approach to basketball. The Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994, losing to the Houston Rockets.
Mason also played for the Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks during his 13-year career. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year honor in 1995 and was named an All-Star in 2001. He appeared in the Beastie Boys music video for “Root Down,” and was immortalized in a lyric from the group’s “B-Boys Makin’ With The Freak Freak.” His son, Anthony Jr., played basketball for St. John’s University, while his other son, Antoine, plays for Auburn University.
