Anthony Mason dead at 48

New York Knicks great Anthony Mason died early Saturday at age 48, his family said.

“Overnight New York City and the world lost a legend, a friend, a brother … but more than anything our father,” his son, Anthony Mason Jr., said in a statement.

“As you all would expect, our father — Big Mase — put up an incredible fight, dealing with severe heart issues,” the statement said.

“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.”

The bruising 6’7″ power forward was diagnosed earlier in February with congestive heart failure.

Mason, a star at Springfield Gardens HS in Queens, was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1988, and went on to play for the Nets and the Denver Nuggets before he joined the Knicks in 1991.

Mason was a member of the 1994 Knicks team that reached the NBA finals. During the 1994-1995 season, he won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Mason left the Knicks in 1996, and played for the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks before he retired in 2003.

Mason lived in New Rochelle. His youngest son, Antoine, is a senior basketball player at Auburn University. His oldest son, Anthony Jr., was a star at St. John’s University.

plenty of joy watching mase play