AUSTIN, Texas — Close friends are remembering Jarod Mason.
According to the Austin Police Department (APD), Mason was shot and killed at the Westlake Apartments on North Capitol of Texas Highway on the morning of July 15. Police said Mason was shot in a parking lot and multiple suspects left the scene. No arrests have been made yet.
Mason's close friend, Kris Clack, reminisced to KVUE about his friend, remembering him by the nickname,"Dirt."
"His goal was to make anyone happy, no matter who they were, no matter what they had. That's why it’s a great loss to myself, his family and this city," Clack said.
Mason was seen as an celebrity at the Givens Rec Center.
"He was AND1 basketball, kind of before AND1 basketball started. [Going] behind the back, through the legs. He was a wizard with the basketball that comes from us playing every day," Clack said.
Clack, a former UT basketball standout who played professionally in Europe and the NBA G-League, said he would frequently play pickup games with Mason and others in the community in the past.
"We would play every day until the gym closed. Once the gym closed, we would walk to their house and their mom or grandma would feed everybody," Clack said.
Clack went on to be Austin's first ever High School All-American, before playing at UT and subsequently got drafted by the Boston Celtics, although he never appeared in an NBA game.
Clack said those pick up games back in the day with Mason helped him get to the professional level.
"We wanted to do all the same type of things and be successful and be the best," Clack said.
Clack said Mason was also a family man with a wife and kids and was a big part of his community.
"He was very open to training all these kids and showing them things he grew up doing every day himself and would dribble the ball everywhere he went," Clack said. "I hope justice is served. I hope APD does a proper investigation to find out who did this."
Clack said Mason will never been forgotten in East Austin.
"He loved Austin, Texas. He loved this city. He loved Givens Park and also represented his city," Clack said.