Anthony Mason has passed away

2015 is turning out to be a horrible year. I've already lost two family members, and the NBA family has lost a half dozen in February alone. NASCAR lost Thee Dixon recently as well.

I just saw when I got on my computer that Anthony Mason passed away overnight, at the age of 48, due to congestive heart failure.

This is a shock to me. I didn't think it sounded good when he had a series of heart attacks recently, but last reports were that he was improving.

I have a LOT of memories of him playing, and while I only got to see him with the Knicks for 3 months in 1996, that is the team I most associate with him. When I first discovered the NBA in April 1996 I watched more Knicks games than anyone else, and he was one of the starting forwards for most if not all of those games.
He also played for the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks during the years I was watching the NBA.

But to me those 1995-96 Knicks are a special team in my memory, and he is the first to pass away.

This is my favorite Knicks card of him in my collection, 1995-96 Metal #72

The card looks a lot better than it scans.

He also appears on both a relic and autograph in my collection.

The relic is a jersey card from one of the 2001-02 High Topps' insert sets, the inappropriately named "Giant Remains" set.

 

His autograph appears in my collection from the 2011-12 Past & Present set. I won a lot of 6 autographs on Ebay that included his and fellow Knicks forward Charles Oakley. 

I really am saddened by this news. Rest in peace, sir.