Anthony Mason
Born: December 14, 1966
Position: Power Forward
Height: 6-8 (2.03 m)
In the NBA:
His Game:
Anthony Mason is a tough, hard working player, able to score from inside, play good defense, rebound very well and handle the ball with ease.
His Career:
He was selected by the Portland Trailblazers in the 3rd round of the 1988 draft (Nr.53 overall). He started his career in the NBA 1 year later, averaging just 1.8 points for the New Jersey Nets in 21 games. The next season he played only 3 games for the Denver Nuggets.
From 1991 until 1996 he was a key player for the New York Knicks. The team reached the Eastern Finals in 1992 and 1993, losing to Chicago both times and the NBA Finals in 1994, losing the title from the Houston Rockets in 7 games.
Mason was the team's sixth man until 1995 and moved into the starting lineup during the 1995-'96 season. He averaged 9.9 points and 7.7 rebounds during these 5 seasons. As a starter, in 1995-'96, he scored 14.6 points and grabbed 9.3 rebounds per game, while dishing 4.4 assists and shooting 56.3% in field goals. The previous year he had a career-high 56.6%.
In the summer of 1996 Mason was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. His first season with the team was his best in his NBA career. He recorded career-highs in minutes played (43.1), points (16.2), rebounds (11.4) and assists (5.7) and also 4 triple-doubles (the first in his career). He missed the entire 1998-'99 season due to an injury. He played for the Miami Heat during the 2000-'01 season, averaging 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds.
He signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2001-'02 season. The team was full of stars already and, adding Mason to the front line, seemed like The force in the East. Due to chemistry and other problems though, the Bucks failed to meet the expectations and didn't even make the playoffs! Mason's numbers were down as well: 9.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg.
Honors:
Mason was an All-Star in 2001. He has won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award in 1995. He was named to the 1996-'97 All-NBA Third Team and to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He led the league in minutes played in 1995-'96 (3,457), while setting a record in Knicks' history. He also led the league in minutes played per game in 1996-'97 (43.1).
Statistics:
| YEAR |
Team |
Games |
Pts |
FT % |
FG % |
3PM |
3-pt % |
Reb. |
Trn |
Ast |
St |
Blk |
Min. |
Star? |
| 1990 |
New Jersey |
21 |
1.8 |
.600 |
.350 |
0 |
.000 |
1.6 |
0.5 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
5.1 |
No |
| 1991 |
Denver |
3 |
3.3 |
.750 |
.500 |
0 |
.000 |
1.7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
7.0 |
No |
| 1992 |
New York |
82 |
7.0 |
.642 |
.509 |
0 |
.000 |
7.0 |
1.2 |
1.3 |
0.6 |
0.2 |
26.8 |
No |
| 1993 |
New York |
81 |
10.3 |
.682 |
.502 |
0 |
.000 |
7.9 |
1.7 |
2.1 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
30.6 |
No |
| 1994 |
New York |
73 |
7.2 |
.720 |
.476 |
0 |
.000 |
5.8 |
1.5 |
2.1 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
26.1 |
No |
| 1995 |
New York |
77 |
9.9 |
.641 |
.566 |
0 |
.000 |
8.4 |
1.6 |
3.1 |
0.9 |
0.3 |
32.4 |
YES |
| 1996 |
New York |
82 |
14.6 |
.720 |
.563 |
0 |
.000 |
9.3 |
2.6 |
4.4 |
0.8 |
0.4 |
42.2 |
YES |
| 1997 |
Charlotte |
73 |
16.2 |
.745 |
.525 |
1 |
.333 |
11.4 |
2.3 |
5.7 |
1.0 |
0.5 |
43.1 |
YES |
| 1998 |
Charlotte |
81 |
12.8 |
.649 |
.509 |
0 |
.000 |
10.2 |
1.8 |
4.2 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
38.9 |
YES |
| 2000 |
Charlotte |
82 |
11.6 |
.746 |
.480 |
0 |
.000 |
8.5 |
2.0 |
4.5 |
0.9 |
0.4 |
38.2 |
YES |
| 2001 |
Miami |
80 |
16.1 |
.781 |
.482 |
0 |
.000 |
9.6 |
2.2 |
3.1 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
40.7 |
YES |
| 2002 |
Milwaukee |
82 |
9.6 |
.697 |
.505 |
1 |
1.000 |
7.9 |
1.6 |
4.2 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
38.3 |
YES |
| 2003 |
Milwaukee |
65 |
7.2 |
.718 |
.486 |
0 |
.000 |
6.4 |
1.2 |
3.2 |
0.5 |
0.2 |
32.6 |
No |
| Career |
Career |
882 |
10.9 |
.709 |
.509 |
2 |
.167 |
8.3 |
1.8 |
3.4 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
34.7 |
YES |
In Europe:
Mason has played in Turkey during the 1988-'89 season.