Ex-NBA star Anthony Mason dies as 48

6-foot-7 Anthony Mason, was a defensive force in the NBA from the 1990s into the early 21st century. He was 48.

The Knicks confirmed Mason’s death, which was first reported today by the New York Daily News. He had been battling heart problems.

‘‘We would like to thank everyone for their heartfelt thoughts and strong prayers. Anthony felt each and every one. He fought like a warrior to the very end,’’ the Mason family said in a statement provided by the Knicks.

Mason won a Sixth Man Award with the Knicks and later made an All-Star team, but it was the toughness he provided alongside Charles Oakley while surrounding franchise center Patrick Ewing that made him beloved in New York.

‘‘MY MAN MY MAN A. MASON R.I.P, WE GONNA MISS U BROTHER,’’ Oakley wrote on Twitter.

May his soul rest in peace.