identity of the involved player has been contested since the song's release, with many long suspecting the Knick in question to have been John Starks, Mason's teammate of several years. The player in question was alleged, decades later, to be Mason, by rapper Fat Joe. Personal life Mason was born in Miami, Florida, and spent most of his childhood in New York City in the borough of Queens. After being charged with statutory rape in 1998, Mason pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Mason's son, Anthony Mason Jr., played on the St. John's University Red Storm basketball team. He completed his eligibility for the 2009–10 St. John's Red Storm, and he went on to try out with the Miami Heat, before playing for teams such as the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Cholet Basket. Another son, Antoine, played basketball at Auburn University after transferring there from Niagara University, where he led the 2012–13 Niagara Purple Eagles in scoring as a redshirt sophomore. Death Mason had a heart attack in early February 2015 and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He died on February 28, 2015, in New York City at the age of 48. NBA career statistics Regular season |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1989–90 | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | 21 || 0 || 5.1 || .350 ||—|| .600 || 1.6 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1990–91 | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 3 || 0 || 7.0 || .500 ||—|| .750 || 1.7 || .0 || .3 || .0 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1991–92 | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 82 || 0 || 26.8 || .509 ||—|| .642 || 7.0 || 1.3 || .6 || .3 || 7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1992–93 | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 81 || 0 || 30.6 || .502 ||—|| .682 || 7.9 || 2.1 || .5 || .2 || 10.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1993–94 | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 73 || 12 || 26.1 || .476 || .000 || .720 || 5.8 || 2.1 || .4 || .1 || 7.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1994–95 | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 77 || 11 || 32.4 || .566 || .000 || .641 || 8.4 || 3.1 || .9 || .3 || 9.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1995–96 | style="text-align:left;"| New York | 82 || 82 || 42.2 || .563 ||—|| .720 || 9.3 || 4.4 || .8 ||