Photo Courtesy of Councilman Wills’ Office
Springfield Gardens High School legend and New York Knicks great Anthony Mason was honored on Saturday during a ceremony organized by City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) co-naming 147th Street between 123rd Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard “Anthony Mason Way.”
Mason, who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association, died last year after suffering a heart attack. He was 48.
“My family and I set out to keep our father’s name alive, and it was an easier task than I thought,” said Anthony Mason, Jr., a recent basketball standout at St. John’s University. “When you say Anthony Mason and New York City, you’re talking about a hand-in-glove fit. You’re talking about a resilient, tough city where hard work is king, and a guy that embodied just that. There isn’t one person I’ve encountered that hasn’t had fond memories to share about our father. That kind of love speaks volumes as to who Anthony Mason was. This street co-naming isn’t just a moment for our family; we share it with his community, as he would have wanted.”
