On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in San Antonio, Texas, on May 6, 2007, the Latinos in Action Sports Association, inducted Larry Mason into the National Hispanic Basketball Hall of Fame. The moving ceremony was held at the site of many of Larry's legendary basketball accomplishments, the Woodlawn Lake Gymnasium. On hand to receive the award for Larry were his proud daughters, Yvette Mason, and Desiree Miller. Also in attendance were Gloria Mason, Larry's first wife, old friends, Al and Lynda Castillo, family friend, Carmen Fennin, and other friends from the San Antonio area.

Larry was not able to attend the ceremony because he was hospitalized in Las Vegas and was receiving chemotherapy to battle Leukemia. The awards ceremony took place during the halftime show at the annual "Over 50" Basketball Game.

For those who don't know Larry, he played his college basketball at New Mexico State University on a basketball scholarship. When he left New Mexico State University, Larry had the distinction of having established a 92 percent free throw percentage, which held up for the next 25 years before it was broken. Larry was also an excellent Track and Field sports star and in Jr. College held the high jump record at 6 feet 8 inches. After college, Larry played professional basketball in Mexico for the "Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes." Later, he played in Europe for six months.

Larry said that when he played basketball in San Antonio, the teams he played for traveled throughout Texas and neighboring states playing some of the top teams in each area. His teams were always sponsored by prominent Hispanic-owned businesses in the San Antonio area.

When he moved to Las Vegas in 1984, Larry continued to play in Hispanic-run basketball tournaments in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California. For the past twenty years, however, Larry played in "age-group" Hispanic basketball tournaments against other basketball "die-hards" in his age group. All told, Larry estimates that he played high-level basketball for at least 30 years.

Larry says that "Playing basketball allowed me to go to college, earn my degree, travel all over the United States, Europe and Mexico, and allowed me to meet many wonderful people of all ages and races. I loved every minute of it and look back on my basketball career with great affection and nostalgia. I am honored that my friends in San Antonio remembered me and honored me with an induction into the National Hispanic Basketball Hall of Fame. It means a lot to me and I am humbled by the honor." Larry also said "For me basketball was a way out of the barrio and the key to a better life. I would encourage any young Hispanic man or woman who is good at sports to pursue their dreams and talents. If they are lucky, and good enough, they will find their dream just like I did."

Congratulations, to an old friend and an incorrigible "Jock!"