Bobby Joe Mason

Bobby Joe Mason (April 23, 1936 – July 4, 2006) was an American basketball player who earned All-American honors at Bradley University and went on to worldwide fame as a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. A three-sport star at Centralia High School in Centralia, Illinois, Mason came to Bradley and lost nearly a season to academic eligibility issues before becoming a prominent player for the Braves. He was part of two National Invitation Tournament championship teams. In 1958 he was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference, and in 1959 he was named to the first team. Following that season, he was drafted by the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers but chose to return to Bradley to use the remainder of his eligibility. Mason played 18 games for the Braves in 1959–60 until his eligibility ran out upon graduation, and he left the team before its run to the 1960 NIT championship. Despite the abbreviated season, he was named a second-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches alongside teammate Chet Walker. He was again drafted in the 1960 NBA draft, this time by the Cincinnati Royals in the sixth round with the 41st overall pick.