Feb. 6, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET
The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.
Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.
To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the seventh of 14 people to wear the No. 42 jersey, big man alum Anthony Mason. After ending his college career at Tennessee State, Mason was picked up with the 53rd overall selection of the 1988 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Miami, Florida native played the first season of his pro career with the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets after being cut before the start of his rookie season and signing with the Nets that offseason. His stay with the team lasted until he was cut again, in 1990.
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During his time suiting up for the Nets, Mason wore only jersey No. 42 and put up 1.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.