Nicknamed "the Monster Mash",[1] Mashburn was a prolific scorer as a small forward in his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game.

[2] After attending Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, Mashburn had a very successful basketball career in college, playing for the University of Kentucky.

Following the tournament he declared for the 1993 NBA draft, with Mashburn being selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the fourth pick.

The Mavericks were a lottery team led by veteran point guard Derek Harper and second year guard Jim Jackson, and Mashburn quickly shared the reins of the offense, averaging 19.2 points a game in 73 starts and earning a selection to the first NBA All-Rookie Team.

Despite the team's improvement they were unable to make the playoffs, and injuries would force Mashburn to only play 18 games in the 1995–96 season.

[7][8] Miami was a loaded team led by all-stars Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway and coached by Pat Riley.

In the playoffs the Heat defeated the Orlando Magic in a difficult 5 games in the first round, followed by a grueling seven-game series win against the New York Knicks.

Miami captured the best record in the Eastern Conference, but once again lost in the first round to New York, as Mashburn averaged 10 points in the five-game series.

While his former team was favored to win the series, Mashburn averaged 23.7 points, as the younger Hornets shocked the Heat and swept them in three games.

The Hornets made the playoffs and defeated Orlando before losing to the New Jersey Nets, but Mashburn's injury woes kept him out of the postseason.

Despite his decision to sit out the year due to his knee, the Hornets still traded Mashburn, along with Rodney Rogers, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Glenn Robinson on February 24, 2005.

The other five are Jerry West (20.3 in 1973–74), Larry Bird (20.2 in 1991–92), Dražen Petrović (22.3 in 1992–93), Reggie Lewis (20.8 in 1992–93), and Michael Jordan (20.0 in 2002–03).

Since retiring from basketball, Mashburn has worked for ESPN as an analyst and launched a number of successful business ventures.