Imagine that.
In the Summer of 1996 Anthony Mason was on top of the world. But to understand how far he climbed, we have to go back further.
Mason grew up in the greater New York area. Originally a baseball and football player, he didn’t start playing organized basketball until his junior year in high school.
When I moved back to Queens (after stints in Manhattan and New Jersey), and I was like, let’s play some football or baseball. And they was like, we don’t play no football or baseball here. So I decided to try the sport. I had a little height, so I thought I’d be alright.
While a student at Spring Field Gardens High School, Mason would practice at the gym through the night. Sometimes until the sun would come up, constantly working on his game. After his high school career, he went to play basketball at Tennessee State. He caught the attention of pro scouts in 1988 but after being drafted in the 3rd round he wasn’t offered an NBA contract. Unfazed and determined to fulfill his dream, Mason went to play professional ball in Turkey. Then the Continental Basketball Association.
What I liked about the CBA when I played and the teams under the NBA, those guys are hungry. You know? They want an opportunity. So you gonna get competitiveness every night, you gonna get guys divin’ on the floor.
Next he had a brief stint with the New Jersey Nets. Then he played in Venezuela. After that, a cup of coffee with the Denver Nuggets. Finally, he played in the United States Basketball League. Three years, six teams and three continents later, the NBA came calling once again. This time, the New York Knicks.
Signed in 1991, Mason flourished with the Knicks in a key bench role. He immediately became a fan favorite for his hard-nosed style and constant effort. After four years and four playoff trips with New York, the league had taken notice and awarded him the 1995 Sixth Man of the Year. In the off-season Mason was offered a contract extension that increased his salary from $1.2M to $3.4M. What also came with the contract: a new role. Mason’s 1995-1996 season was his first season as a starter and Pat Reilly couldn’t keep him off the floor. He played all 82 games, leading the NBA in minutes and the Knicks went to their 5th straight playoff appearance.
I remember Pat Reilly called me into his office, and he said, what you think about starting? You know coming off the bench gives me an advantage, I get to see the strengths, the weaknesses, and I get to see who is going left, who is going right. I feel like I’m better coming off the bench. And I can take that role. So I said that, he let me do my whole spiel…and then he said… “you know that’s the most bullshit thing I ever heard!”
He was known as the “Beast of the East” according to his teammate and future Hall of Famer, Patrick Ewing. Knicks guard John Starks said he “always represented Queens…and that means a lot.” Mason was also known to return to his childhood neighborhoods to give back and attend youth outreach activities.
Imagine that.
Meanwhile 12 miles away from Mason’s high school, another Queens legend is making his mark on hip hop. Hailing from Queensbridge Houses, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones or as most people know him, Nas, releases his debut album illmatic in 1994. Although the album received praise, debuting at #12 on the Billboard Charts, sales fell well below expectations despite five singles. (Today, the album is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop debuts in music history.)
But just like his Queens counter-part Mason, the bump in the road didn’t slow Nas down. While singles from his first album were getting so-so radio play, he was behind the scenes putting in work. On June 4th 1996 (one day before the NBA Finals), Nas released “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” featuring the Fugees own Lauryn Hill. Paired with a high budget music video, it was the first Nas single to reach major mainstream success, including a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Imagine that.
But back to Mase. The NBA season is over and while the Chicago Bulls beat the Knicks on their way to becoming NBA Champions again, New York played them tough. He’s back home in New York with his family, including his son Antoine Mason (who eventually becomes quite a baller himself). New contract. New role. Accolades. The Knicks are good. Mason just set career highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. The hottest rapper just released a mainstream hit from his own neighborhood… Then it happened.
The rumors began in July that the Knicks were interested in Larry Johnson and Mason would be the piece used to acquire. Because it was the off-season, because it involved New York, there was talk everywhere. When asked about the trade, Mason’s agent Don Cronson put it bluntly:
They haven’t made him an untouchable like Patrick (Ewing) but maybe they should. He’ll help the Knicks more than any player they’ll bring in for him. It wouldn’t be a good trade for the Knicks.
However on July 14th, Mason was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Johnson.
I thought I'd never see, but reality struck…
Agents, coaches, teammates and even opposing players had something to say to the media. Orlando Magic star Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway for instance, thought it was great deal, for New York.
Larry Johnson is going to make (the Knicks) a lot better. Their whole style might have to change, but this makes them a better team. It will hurt Charlotte, but it definitely puts (the Knicks) back into championship potential.
Mason said his frustrations were not about going to Charlotte, where he would have a bigger role, but that the Knicks said he would retire for his hometown Knicks. He also believed that certain Knicks players were in the ears of management to get him traded:
Like other challenges he faced, Mason took this one head on. An already strong, athletic player at 6’7 250, Mason got into arguably the best shape of his life. Reports coming out of training camp were that he had never looked as strong or fast, playing in mid-season form. That’s when he decided to make things really clear to his former team in his introductory press conference:
I think the organization up there (Knicks) is really fooling themselves.
The 1995-1996 Charlotte Hornets were still a relatively new franchise. Starting as an expansion team in 1988, they had early success after landing Johnson and Alonzo Mourning in back-to-back drafts. 31 wins, 44 wins, 41 wins and peaking at 50 wins in 1995. But the 1996 team took a step back, contributing to Johnson’s departure.
The 1996-1997 Hornets, Mason’s first year, would shock the NBA landscape. The pre-season Las Vegas over/under odds (expectation of wins) were set at 38. They were expected to be in the lottery. Mason had different ideas. The team finished 54-28, a whopping 16+ wins above expectations. The highest over performance of any team in that season and the franchise best regular season. (In his three seasons playing for the Hornets, they have the 1st, 2nd and 4th highest winning percentage seasons in the franchises history.)
On his new team, Mason put up numbers maybe only he saw coming:
43.1 MPG (1st)
16.2 PPG (41st)
11.4 RPG (3rd)
5.7 APG (22nd)
1 SPG (T-68th)
0.5 BPG (T-66th)
52.5% FG (14th)
74.5% FT (81st)
11.4 WS (13th)
4.3 VORP (16th)
18.9 PER (34th)
58.5% TS (T-21st)
ORTG (T-9th)
Career Averages - 10.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 14.6 PER
The vast majority of those numbers were career highs. When compared to his peers that year, no player had more assists per game (5.7 APG) that also averaged seven or more rebounds (remember, he averaged 11.4 RPG). The closest combinations of rebounding and assists were found here:
Anthony Mason 11.4 RPG, 5.7 APG
Dennis Rodman - 16.1 RPG, 3.1 APG
Grant Hill - 9 RPG, 7.3 APG
Chris Webber - 10.3 RPG, 4.6 APG
Karl Malone - 9.9 RPG, 4.5 APG
Scottie Pippen - 6.5 RPG, 5.7 APG
In addition, he made the All-NBA 3rd Team (his only time), a All-Defensive 2nd Team (his only appearance) and finished T-9th in MVP voting (with Shaq). When you consider some of the names on the 3rd All-NBA Team (Shaq, Stockton, Penny) and who was on the 2nd All-Defensive Team (Hakeem, Stockton, Blaylock), it makes it even more impressive.
For those that weren’t able to see him play, or just didn’t take notice, Mason was a special talent who finally got an opportunity to play to his highest potential. Stats are one thing, but Mason’s impact goes well beyond the box score. Mason would take it on himself to guard the other teams best scorer (Jordan, Shaq, Hakeem, etc). In addition to his offensive responsibilities he would rarely even leave the court. Not only is that an amazing achievement in terms of endurance but in his ability to avoid fouls with that much defensive intensity.
While he wasn’t the teams leading scorer, that belonged to Glen Rice at 26.8 PPG, he was the teams second leading scorer. But get this, he was actually 9th on his own team in usage rate amongst players who played 25 games or more. Again when comparing him to the rest of the league, his usage rate was just 125th in the league. Let’s look at his points in relation to other peers with a similar usage rate:
Mason - 17.6, 16.2 PPG
Mullin - 17.6, 14.5 PPG
Hill 17.6 - 12.9 PPG
Ferry - 17.6, 10.6 PPG
Hawkins - 17.5, 13.9 PPG
Johnson - 17.5, 12.8 PPG
Mutombo - 17.4, 13.3 PPG
His offensive rating, an estimate of points produced (player) or scored (teams) per 100 possessions, was again tied for 9th best in the NBA amongst qualifiers. In fact, amongst starting players, it was tied for 6th best in the league. Who was he tied with? Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller.
Here’s a few box scores showing how efficient and how much endurance he could display when at his best:
January 24th, 1997 - W 113-104 OT vs. New York Knicks: 17 points, 4-5 FG, 9-11 FT, 18 REB, 6 AST, 52.5 MIN
February 17th, 1997 - W 124-110 vs. Orlando Magic: 28 points, 11-11 FG, 12 REB, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 TO, 47.5 MIN (removed from the game with 30 seconds left)
February 22nd, 1997 - W 93-92 @ Atlanta Hawks: 25 points, 9-11 FG, 12 REB, 5 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 46 MIN
He had four triple-doubles that season, one of which he had 22 rebounds in. He only had three triple-doubles in the other 11 seasons of his career, combined.
Meanwhile, in New York, Larry Johnson’s numbers took a huge dip. From 20 PPG and 8 RPG to 13 PPG and 5 RPG. However, the Knicks would improve by 10 wins and in the ultimate irony, would land a #3 seed and face, guess who? The #6 seed Charlotte Hornets. The Knicks were the better team, and swept the first round series in three games.
Mason would play just two more seasons in Charlotte (he actually missed the entire 1998-1999 season with a ruptured bicep and bounced back), before being dealt with Eddie Jones to the Heat in package for Jamal Mashburn and PJ Brown. After just a year being reunited with Pat Reilly in Miami, he finished his career with the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons.
During his peak, and especially outlier season, what exactly was Anthony Mason? A 6’7 250 lefty with his strength, quick feet, ball handling, high IQ, defense and endurance it’s find to put a finger on an exact comparison. A point forward with guard like skills and enforcer like strength. Do all the dirty work. Power Forward, Small Forward, Center. When you put on the tape it’s easy to see how he was affective then and how he could have been in today’s game.
For those that are unaware, Mason’s life was tragically cut short on February 28th, 2015 when he had a heart attack at the age of 48. A street has since been named in his honor where he grew up. When I started writing this piece last week, I noticed by chance that February 28th was just a few days away. If somehow this ends up being read by his friends or family, he was a true warrior on the court and it was an absolute privilege to watch him play the game of basketball. I’m honored and humbled to be able to write about him.
A special talent and special human being, in one of his final interviews, Mase left a piece of advice to all:
And then we'll walk right up to the sun
Hand in hand
We'll walk right up to the sun
We won't land
We'll walk right up to the sun
Hand in hand
We'll walk right up to the sun
We won't land
Photo Credits:
Linda Cataffo NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Kim SoMajor via Source
Rocky Widner NBAE via Getty Images
Robert Sullivan AFP via Getty Images
Nathaniel S. Butler NBAE via Getty Images
New York Daily News
Quote Credits:
Derrel Johnson - Gospel Herald City Sports
Mark Skevich - Real Fans Real Talk