Longtime NBA player Anthony Mason dies at 48

Longtime NBA player Anthony Mason, who helped the New York Knicks reach the 1994 NBA Finals, died early Saturday morning at the age of 48.

Mason, a 13-year NBA veteran, had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure earlier this month. He was in the hospital for nearly a month while recovering from multiple heart surgeries and heart attacks.

“First I want to thank all those who offered prayers and well-wishes for my Father, our family really appreciates it,” his son, Anthony Mason Jr., said Saturday. “Overnight, New York City and the world lost a legend, a friend, a brother … but more than anything our father, Anthony Mason. As you all would expect our father — Big Mase — put up an incredible fight, dealing with a severe heart issue. I’m wishing this was something else I was writing, but Pops we’ve got to let you know we love you and know you’ll always be with us.”

Mason’s other son Antoine, a senior basketball player at Auburn, said earlier this week that his father was “getting better” following multiple heart surgeries.

Mason, a 6-foot-7 forward, played for the Knicks from 1991-1996 and then for the Charlotte Hornets until 2000. He made his only All-Star team in 2001 as a member of the Miami Heat.

Mason was best remembered for his five-year tenure with the Knicks. His physical play epitomized then-coach Pat Riley’s Knicks teams. Mason teamed with Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks to help the Knicks win the Eastern Conference in 1994 and reach the NBA Finals. They lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games.

“Anthony was a multifaceted individual,” his longtime agent, Don Cronson, told ESPN.com. “There were many aspects to his personality, and some that people weren’t aware of. In the best sense of the term he was a momma’s boy. From the day I met him he was always thinking of his mom and taking care of her. As rough and tough as he was, Anthony was also a doting father, and I saw that many times.

“Anthony willed himself into the NBA, and very few players can do that. Any NBA team could’ve had him for a nickel, and he turned out to be the perfect Pat Riley player. I think Pat saw a lot of himself in Anthony, and really they were the same guy. That’s why they butted heads as often as they did. They were both blue-collar guys and fighters. Anthony told me, ‘Pat Riley was the one who gave me my chance. He’s the one who saw something in me when nobody else did.’”