Retired NBA forward Anthony Mason, is critically ill following a massive heart attack.

The news was first reported via Twitter by former NBA columnist and NBA on NBC analyst Peter Vecsey:

“Sickened 2 report, ex-Knick Anthony Mason fighting 4 life. Congestive heart failure, heart attack, 4 surgeries, last one 9 hrs. Sons by side,”

 

Mason, a member of the 1994 Eastern Conference champion Knicks, was the NBA’s 1995 Sixth Man of the Year while playing for New York and an NBA all-star in 2001 as a member of the Miami Heat.

 

The Knicks gave no official word but tweeted:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Anthony Mason and his family. #Knicks”

Mason retired in 2003 while with the Milwaukee Bucks, finishing with career averages of 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

In 2011, he became a life insurance marketing specialist with the Hotaling Group, an independent insurance firm based in Manhattan. He’s in the division that helps provide coverage to several high-level amateur prospects, protecting their future earnings as a professional. In 2014, Mason and former Knicks teammate John Starks teamed up as investors of Custom Fuel Pizza, on 123rd St amd Frederick Douglas Blvd. in Harlem.