Bulls' Terry will wear 25 to honor Ben Wilson, Steve Kerr originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
When Victor Mason used to get into deep conversations with Ben Wilson, his classmate at Simeon High School, he never could have known the connection would resonate in such full-circle fashion 38 years later.
“I can remember him (Wilson) sitting behind me in class. He was a great reader,” Mason said by phone from Arizona on Monday. “I just remember us talking in cars and his knees up in his chest while we were going to McDonald's. We had some great interpersonal conversations. Some of those things impacted my life and my kids and Dalen as well."
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Dalen is Dalen Terry, the newest member of the Chicago Bulls and a longtime close family friend of Mason’s. In fact, even though they are not technically related, Mason was such an instrumental figure in Terry's upbringing that Terry calls him his uncle.
And now Terry will wear No. 25 for the Bulls in part because of Wilson and the stories that Mason shared about him over the years.
“Ever since I was younger, (Mason) always showed me so many articles and stuff about (Wilson),” Terry said in an appearance on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “I watched the ESPN (documentary about Wilson). I remember I was real sad about it and I didn’t even know him. I felt like I did.”
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That’s because Mason, who befriended Terry’s parents when Terry was a young kid and has weaved his own love for basketball into Terry's life, always kept Wilson’s memory and legacy alive.
He did so when Terry would work on his dribbling in Mason’s garage before heading to school with Mason’s kids. Or when Terry would stop by his house to shoot jumper after jumper on his backyard rim.
“Dalen reminds me a little bit of him just because of his energy," Mason said. "Benji used to say 'yeah, boy' all the time. Just little things about Dalen’s gestures and his passion for the game and his perfection to be great.
“It’s not often you meet kids who kind of talk that way but then actually do it. Everybody says, ‘I want to be great.’ But do you have the will to do it and put the extra time in? Dalen does.”
Terry doesn't take such words or comparisons lightly.
“He said he was the next Michael Jordan. He said he was that good,” Terry said when asked what Mason would share about his Simeon classmate. “Just his energy, him being a tall, lanky kid. When I was younger, like 10 years old, he told me I reminded him of him. So it was just big for him to say that. And then once I watched (the documentary) and I've heard so many stories about him, it was just like, ‘Wow, it's just great to be in that conversation.’”
After helping Simeon capture the 1984 Class AA state championship, Wilson was the top-ranked high school prospect in the country when he was murdered near the high school. The documentary “Benji,” released as part of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, has educated a whole new generation about Wilson’s story — if the longstanding practice that the best player on Simeon’s team often wore No. 25 to honor Wilson’s memory hadn’t already.
Terry has watched the documentary. Mason hasn’t.
“I started to, but it’s too emotional. It’s connected. It’s a little different when you lived it,” Mason said. “I enjoyed watching some of the clips of watching him play. But just digging into the story brings back a lot of memories.”
Terry wore the No. 4 in high school, for Hillcrest Prep, and college, for Arizona. But in 1994, the Bulls retired that number for Jerry Sloan. Terry knew that Steve Kerr, who also played at Arizona, wore No. 25 for the Bulls. And the opportunity to tie that into honoring Wilson clicked.
So when he came up with the idea and told Mason, it was a moment.
“He came up with this. It’s something he did on his own. That’s how his passion is for basketball and the history of the game itself,” Mason said. “It almost brought tears to my eyes. There’s just so much memory with that.
“And the fact that it’s associated with Chicago, the story behind it, the legacy behind it. Derrick Rose wore that number. I feel like Dalen is on that same path to be great if he continues to learn and grow and be the best that he can be.”
Growing up in Chicago, Mason used to play pickup games with former Loyola star Alfredrick Hughes and former Bulls guard and executive Randy Brown. Mason's love for the sport led to him coaching youth and club basketball, including a stint at Chandler (Ariz.) High School, as he grew the insurance agency that he owns. His daughter, Victoria, plays at Hampton (Va.) University, while his son, Mekhi, signed a letter-of-intent to play at Rice University in Houston.
Mason first met Terry when he was 6. He has grown up with Mason’s children.
And now Terry will be in Mason’s hometown, wearing No. 25.
“He has such passion for the game. It’s sincere. He has a desire to get better every day and learn. And he’s humble. Those are characteristics that stand out for me and are embraced in a city like Chicago,” Mason said. “And he’s a blue-collar worker who’s going to do anything it takes to win. That means diving on the floor. That means making the right play. That means, even if he’s not in the game, giving guys five when they come to the bench.
“He’s just going to bring that energy that Chicago loves to have. That city gets behind winners. He’s a winner.”
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