Just read breaking news online that Anthony Mason has passed away today. Last I had read he was still recovering from his heart attack earlier in February. Very sad, he was still a relatively young man. Mason played the game the way it should be played and he was a huge part of my fond memories of that era of the team.
Anthony Mason Passes Away at Age 48
- Thread starter htr10
- Start date
Very unfortunate, he was said to have been making improvements over the past week. Here's a neat clip of him and his Artwork Hair Legend.
#NoLongerSuffering #WillRiseAgain #GodsPromise
http://www.si.com/nba/video/2014/01/21/si-now-anthony-mason-evolution-his-hair-style
#NoLongerSuffering #WillRiseAgain #GodsPromise
http://www.si.com/nba/video/2014/01/21/si-now-anthony-mason-evolution-his-hair-style
WVKnickfan
Rotation player
My heart is broke!! 48 is way to young to be gone!! Anthony Mason left it all on the basketball court every game and played his heart out each and every game.Mase you will be missed but you will never be forgotten.RIP Mase
jimkcchief88
All Star
Yep 48 way too young to go RIP Mase...thank you for the wonderful memories
Knicks4Life_1985
★The Floor General★
Going to miss the smile from Mase loved him as a Knicks another one gone too soon
NEW YORK -- Friends, former teammates and a former head coach of Anthony Mason's gathered at a Queens church Friday morning to say goodbye to the NBA veteran, who died last week.
Pat Riley, the Miami Heat president who coached Mason with the New York Knicks, joined former Knicks players John Starks, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley at Mason's funeral at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in the Jamaica section of Queens.
Riley and Starks spoke at the private three-hour service that was attended by more than 200 people.
"He's one of the best players that I've ever coached in my life," Riley, who coached Mason for four years in New York and one season in Miami, said afterward. "He had something that was special and unique, and not many players had it, and he engulfed all of that with his competitive desire to win and to separate himself from the pack.
"A lot of people always say that 'Pat made Mase.' No, Mase made me. And all the great players that I've ever coached in my life made me successful and who I am today, and he was a big part of that."
Ex-NBA players Herb Williams, Jayson Williams and Allan Houston, who currently is an assistant general manager for the Knicks, also attended the service.
Mason died Feb. 28 following a massive heart attack in early February. He was 48.
"He represented New York well," said Starks, who played with Mason on the Knicks team that reached the 1994 NBA Finals. "He came from the playgrounds of New York and made himself a self-made basketball player. Nobody thought that he would turn out the way he turned out and [would go] on to have a very successful career and have a great family, so we're going to miss him."
Mason played for six teams in 13 seasons but was best remembered for his five-year run with the Knicks. He found a home in New York under Riley after playing overseas and briefly with two NBA teams.
The 6-foot-7 forward became a fan favorite in New York for his physical play and also drew attention for the creative artwork and messages he had carved into his haircuts.
His son, Anthony Mason Jr., had his father's number 14 carved into the back of his haircut on Friday and several pallbearers had "Mase" shaved into their haircuts.
After the ceremony, Riley said Mason's underdog mentality was one of the keys to his success.
"The No. 1 characteristic that I feel that he had was this intrinsic edge, this motivation that he had to want to prove to people that he was better than they thought he was," Riley said. "Over his career, he planted his feet very hard and he stood firm about who he is. Anthony Mason is a great tribute to New York, and he's a great tribute to his family. I was proud to be a part of the ceremony and proud to have coached him."
Pat Riley, the Miami Heat president who coached Mason with the New York Knicks, joined former Knicks players John Starks, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley at Mason's funeral at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in the Jamaica section of Queens.
Riley and Starks spoke at the private three-hour service that was attended by more than 200 people.
"He's one of the best players that I've ever coached in my life," Riley, who coached Mason for four years in New York and one season in Miami, said afterward. "He had something that was special and unique, and not many players had it, and he engulfed all of that with his competitive desire to win and to separate himself from the pack.
"A lot of people always say that 'Pat made Mase.' No, Mase made me. And all the great players that I've ever coached in my life made me successful and who I am today, and he was a big part of that."
Ex-NBA players Herb Williams, Jayson Williams and Allan Houston, who currently is an assistant general manager for the Knicks, also attended the service.
Mason died Feb. 28 following a massive heart attack in early February. He was 48.
"He represented New York well," said Starks, who played with Mason on the Knicks team that reached the 1994 NBA Finals. "He came from the playgrounds of New York and made himself a self-made basketball player. Nobody thought that he would turn out the way he turned out and [would go] on to have a very successful career and have a great family, so we're going to miss him."
Mason played for six teams in 13 seasons but was best remembered for his five-year run with the Knicks. He found a home in New York under Riley after playing overseas and briefly with two NBA teams.
The 6-foot-7 forward became a fan favorite in New York for his physical play and also drew attention for the creative artwork and messages he had carved into his haircuts.
His son, Anthony Mason Jr., had his father's number 14 carved into the back of his haircut on Friday and several pallbearers had "Mase" shaved into their haircuts.
After the ceremony, Riley said Mason's underdog mentality was one of the keys to his success.
"The No. 1 characteristic that I feel that he had was this intrinsic edge, this motivation that he had to want to prove to people that he was better than they thought he was," Riley said. "Over his career, he planted his feet very hard and he stood firm about who he is. Anthony Mason is a great tribute to New York, and he's a great tribute to his family. I was proud to be a part of the ceremony and proud to have coached him."