Former Seattle Supersonic and nine year NBA veteran Desmond Mason spoke with Pro Player Insiders’ Melissa Mahler about a side of himself many people might not know about – his artistic side. She caught up with him in New Orleans earlier this year at the annual NFLPA Smocks for Jocks event.
Q: This is a really interesting event because it highlights a side of an athlete that probably most athletes don’t get to share with one another. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
A: The opportunity for guys to express themselves in a different way… Sports mandate a lot of your lives. It takes a lot of your energy so you got to definitely have something to balance it out. I think this is it. For guys to be able to show that on this stage is important for us.
Q: What inspires you? And how did you get involved with painting?
A: I have been painting since I was 12. I started doing ceramics since I was 11. And inspiration comes from me, my everyday life, my family, my kids, my wife, my past experiences and present. I try to utilize all of those emotions and put them on canvas.
Q: So if we walk around here today, who are some of your favorite artists?
Outside of myself (smiling and jokingly)? Across the board there is some phenomenal work. Some of the things I really like are the photography. It takes a special person to really capture emotions. So I really enjoy the photography.
In addition to having a NBA career scoring average of 12 points per game, and a slam dunk contest trophy, Desmond Mason is a very talented artists. He is just one of the many “jocks” who has an artistic side that not many fans know exists
Follow Melissa Mahler on Twitter: @Melissa_PPI and click here to visit her Pro Player Insider page.
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