ANTHONY MASON | Position: Forward Born: 12/14/66, Miami, Florida College: Tennessee State Height: 6' 7" Weight: 250 lbs. Stats |
Background: An immensely strong 6-foot-7 power forward, Anthony Mason has developed into a tenacious rebounder, solid defender, and all-around enforcer who can also handle the ball with surprising ease. His road to NBA respectability has been circuitous, running through Turkey and Tulsa before finally reaching Madison Square Garden. Eventually, Mason matured into a key contributor for a powerful New York Knicks team. He won the NBA Sixth Man Award in 1995.
Mason spent his college career at Tennessee State, where he averaged 18.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in four seasons. As a senior, he poured in 28.0 points and pulled down 10.4 rebounds per game. Still a relative unknown, he was selected in the third round of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but spent the 1988-89 season playing in Turkey. He returned to the United States and appeared in a dozen games for the New Jersey Nets in 1989-90, but the Nets released him just before the 1990-91 campaign. He spent that season with the Tulsa Fast Breakers of the Continental Basketball Association and was virtually unstoppable, averaging 29.9 points and 14.8 rebounds.
Mason played for the Long Island Surf of the United States Basketball League in summer 1991 and then signed as a free agent with the Knicks. He quickly earned a spot on the Knicks' regular second unit, appearing in all 82 games in 1991-92. The following season he logged more than 30 minutes per game off the bench and tied for second (with the Phoenix Suns' Danny Ainge) in the balloting for the NBA Sixth Man Award.
Mason started in a dozen games early in the 1993-94 season before returning to his normal role as sixth man behind fellow bruiser Charles Oakley. Overall, Mason's numbers slipped a bit in 1993-94, but he was still an important contributor on a team that reached the NBA Finals before falling to the Houston Rockets in seven games.
In 1994-95 he averaged 9.9 points and a career-best 8.4 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game, and he was rewarded with the NBA Sixth Man Award.
Transactions: Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the third round (53rd pick overall) of the 1988 NBA Draft. Played in Turkey in 1988-89. Draft rights relinquished by the Trail Blazers on 6/30/89. Signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Nets on 9/19/89. Waived by the Nets on 10/30/90. Played in the Continental Basketball Association with the Tulsa Fast Breakers in 1990-91. Signed by the Denver Nuggets to the first of two consecutive 10-day contracts on 12/28/90. Played in the United States Basketball League with the Long Island Surf in 1991. Signed as a free agent by the New York Knicks on 7/30/91.
1994-95: Mason, who had served as one of the top reserves in the NBA since joining the New York Knicks in 1991, was rewarded with the NBA Sixth Man Award in 1994-95. He turned in a fine season, averaging 9.9 points and a career-high 8.4 rebounds. His .566 field-goal percentage led the Knicks and would have ranked fourth in the NBA, but his 287 made field goals fell just short of the 300 needed to qualify.
The season had its bumpy moments for the volatile forward. On March 16 Mason was suspended by the Knicks for an outburst directed at Coach Pat Riley in a March 14 game against the Denver Nuggets. However, Mason played superb basketball after being reinstated on March 26. In the 15 games following his return from suspension he averaged 10.1 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting .627 from the field. It was not his only stretch of sustained excellence during the season: in late January he led the club on the boards in four straight games, averaging 14.0 rebounds during that stretch. The string ended with a career-high 19-rebound performance against the Phoenix Suns on January 29.
Mason helped power the Knicks to a 55-27 record and a second-place finish in the Atlantic Division. In the playoffs, New York bested the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games but fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Against the Cavs Mason shot .625 from the field while pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game. In Game 5 against the Pacers he scored 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks eked out a 1-point win to stay alive. For the postseason, he averaged 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 11 contests.
1993-94: Mason turned in another outstanding season as New York's sixth man. Spelling both Charles Smith and Charles Oakley in the Knicks' frontcourt, he appeared in 73 games, starting 12, and contributing 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The hulking forward shot .476 from the field and .720 from the free-throw line, recording season highs of 20 points on November 27 and 14 rebounds on March 7, both against the Detroit Pistons.
Mason proved to be a key contributor in the Knicks' playoff run, particularly in the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. Called up at times to guard Hakeem Olajuwon, the league's Most Valuable Player, Mason helped shackle him in Game 2 as New York posted a crucial 91-83 victory. The Knicks eventually lost the series in seven games.
1992-93: Mason played the sixth-man role so well in New York that he finished second to the Portland Trail Blazers' Clifford Robinson for the 1993 NBA Sixth Man Award. Coming off the bench in all 81 of his appearances, Mason averaged 10.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, shooting .502 from the field and .682 from the free-throw line.
The fourth-year forward had his best game of the season on March 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 30 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. He also had a 21-point, 14-rebound effort against the Heat at Miami on February 5. For the season, he had 23 games of 10 or more rebounds and led the Knicks in that category 14 times.
Mason turned it up a notch during the playoffs, helping the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals, which they lost to the Chicago Bulls in six games. In 15 postseason contests Mason shot .590 from the floor and averaged 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. He scored 25 points in the fourth and final game of a first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
1991-92: Mason's NBA career finally took off in 1991-92 when he became a key member of the New York Knicks' second unit. The Knicks signed him as a free agent in the offseason, and their new coach, Pat Riley, used him extensively as a backup at both forward positions.
Mason came off the bench in all 82 games and contributed 7.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per contest. He typified the toughness of a New York team challenging for supremacy in the Eastern Conference, leading the Knicks in rebounding 10 times and shooting .509 from the field.
Mason scored a season-high 17 points twice and grabbed 17 rebounds in a game against the New Jersey Nets on March 14. He made significant contributions in the postseason, averaging 5.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in 12 playoff games as the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which they lost to the Chicago Bulls in seven games.
1990-91: The New Jersey Nets waived Mason just prior to the start of the 1990-91 season, so he hooked up with the Tulsa Fast Breakers of the Continental Basketball Association. He put up awesome numbers in 26 CBA appearances, averaging 29.9 points and 14.8 rebounds.
Mason's only NBA experience during the season came during a brief stint with the Denver Nuggets, who signed him to two 10-day contracts in December and January. He appeared in three games for the Nuggets and totaled 10 points and 5 rebounds in 21 minutes.
In the summer of 1991, Mason played for the Long Island Surf of the United States Basketball League. He was named to the All-USBL First Team after averaging 27.8 points and 11.2 rebounds in 16 games.
1989-90: As a senior at Tennessee State in 1987-88, hulking forward Anthony Mason led the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring with an impressive 28.0 average. He also posted a 10.4 rebounding average and hit 40 of 81 three-point attempts.
Because of Mason's 6-foot-7 size, NBA teams had doubts about his ability to become a successful pro forward. He lasted until the third round of the 1988 NBA Draft, when the Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the 53rd overall pick.
The Blazers did not offer Mason a contract, so he played the 1988-89 season in Turkey and then became an NBA free agent. The New Jersey Nets signed him prior to the 1989-90 season, and he remained on the Nets' roster throughout the year. He spent the first half of the season on the injured list due to a stress fracture in his right foot, then returned to play in 21 games and average 1.8 points in 5.1 minutes per game.
| Sea. | Team | G | Min. | FG | 3Pt. | FT | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Tot. | PG |
| 89-90 | New Jersey | 21 | 108 | .350 | - | .600 | 34 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 1.8 |
| 90-91 | Denver | 3 | 21 | .500 | - | .750 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3.3 |
| 91-92 | New York | 82 | 2198 | .509 | - | .642 | 573 | 106 | 46 | 20 | 573 | 7.0 |
| 92-93 | New York | 81 | 2482 | .502 | - | .682 | 640 | 170 | 43 | 19 | 831 | 10.3 |
| 93-94 | New York | 73 | 1903 | .476 | .000 | .720 | 427 | 151 | 31 | 9 | 528 | 7.2 |
| 94-95 | New York | 77 | 2496 | .566 | .000 | .641 | 650 | 240 | 69 | 21 | 765 | 9.9 |
| 95-96 | New York | 82 | 3457 | .563 | --- | .720 | 764 | 363 | 69 | 34 | 1196 | 14.6 |
| Career Totals: | 419 | 12665 | .526 | .000 | .681 | 3093 | 1037 | 261 | 105 | 3940 | 9.4 | |
| 1996 Playoffs: | 8 | 350 | .526 | --- | .679 | 62 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 101 | 12.6 | |
| Playoff Totals: | 71 | 2160 | .534 | .000 | .674 | 461 | 147 | 37 | 26 | 642 | 9.0 | |
| All-Star Totals: | 0 | 0 | --- | --- | --- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |