John Mason (announcer)

John Mason, whose real name is Everette Teal, is the public address announcer for the Detroit Pistons games at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He is known for his colorful introductions, and is credited with coining the popular chant "Deeeeee-troit basketball!" [http://www.nba.com/pistons/multimedia/audio.html] His flamboyant voice has been requested at many sporting events, and he was chosen to serve as the PA announcer at the 2007 NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Mason is also a radio personality in Detroit, Michigan. He was the host of the extremely Popular "Mason in The Morning" on WJLB for 18 years. He was also host of his own radio show on 102.7/105.9 KISS-FM ( [http://www.kissdetroit.com/home.asp WDMK] ). Mason left WDMK in July 2006 as his contract had expired. Mason has since signed with WGPR 107.5FM, however, he cannot appear on the station due to a non-compete clause in his contract. This issue has now been resolved. Mason was offered an intriguing contract from the Cleveland Cavaliers, his former hometown. He declined the offer, saying that the Pistons gave him so many opportunities, and it was his new home. The Pistons have also given Mason the opportunity to serve as a PA announcer for an NBA title contender. Ever since Mason replaced longtime Pistons PA announcer Ken Calvert before the start of the 2001-02 NBA season, Detroit has been a perennial contender for the NBA Championship. Mason saw the Pistons win back-to-back NBA Eastern Conference titles in 2004 & 2005, and most notably saw them win the NBA title in 2004, upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. As of the end of the 2007-08 NBA Season, Mason has seen his Detroit Pistons make an impressive 6 consecutive appearances in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.