One of the NBA’s most under-rated players passed away on February 28, Anthony Mason. An all-star in 2001, Mason spent 13 years in the league with six different teams. He was 48.
A third-round draft choice out of Tennessee State, he is probably best known for his five years as a New York Knick.
Following are a few stats you may not know about Mason.
1. Mason is one of 20 NBA players who played more than 2,000 minutes in a season without starting a game in that year. Mason did it twice: 1991-92 and 1992-93. He is one of only four players to accomplish this feat multiple times (the others were Jamal Crawford and Dell Curry, three times each, and J.R. Smith, twice). Mason is one of only two players in NBA history to play over 2,100 minutes in a season without starting a game; Mason did it twice, Crawford three times.
2. In the first six years of his career, Mason started only 23 of the 337 he played (just under seven percent). In the final seven years of his career, Mason played 545 games, starting 536 of them (over 98 percent).
3. Mason was presented the NBA’s Sixth Man Award after the 1994-95 season. The following year he led the NBA in minutes played with 3,457 as a member of the New York Knicks. He started all 82 games that year for the Knicks.
4. J.R. Smith holds the NBA record for most minutes played in a season without starting a game with 2,678 in 2012-13. Mason is second on that list with 2,482 (he did that in 1992-93). Mason also has the eighth-most minutes in this category with 2,198 in 1991-92.
5. Mason’s career numbers include 9,656 points scored, 7,279 rebounds and 2,963 assists. He is one of 39 NBA players to have 9,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 2,500 assists in a career. Of those 39, 19 are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
6. Mason played 882 games in his NBA career. He is one of only 14 NBA players to have 9,000 points, 7,000 rebounds and 2,500 assists in a career with less than 1,000 games played. Of the 14, nine are in the Hall of Fame. The other four not in the Hall: Pau Gasol (he will likely pass the 1,000-game mark in his career), Lamar Odom, Chris Webber and Bill Bridges.
Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp