One NBA team asked a draft prospect how he'd prefer to die ... seriously

The NBA draft combine is underway in Chicago, and that means dozens of aspiring professional basketball players — some from college, some from abroad, one from high school — are in the middle of the biggest job interviews of their lives. The most important aspect of that interview is the on-court portion. Another part, however, is actual interviews.

Just like any other job interview, NBA teams ask prospective employees — the incoming rookies — about leadership, about their personalities, about their potential fit within the organization, about their career goals, and much, much more.

Former Kansas point guard Frank Mason was one those interviewees, and he probably got asked about all of those things. He probably got asked about how his game will translate to the next level.

He also got asked how he wants to die.

What?

Yes, Frank Mason got asked by an NBA team, If you were to die, which way would you want to go out?

This is not the first time pro prospects have been asked odd questions. You hear about it most often in football. NFL rookies frequently get asked, “Are you a cat or a dog?” Sometimes the questions turn downright weird, or even controversial. Some have heard, “Do you find your mother attractive?” One player, Eli Apple, was asked whether he liked men.

Some, like Mason, have heard trauma-related questions — “If a bus crashed and you were on it, where would you want to be sitting?” — but that doesn’t make asking a player how he’d like to die any less weird.

The point of questions like this is to make players uncomfortable and see how they respond. They’re an indirect way of learning about a player. But again … no explanation makes them any less weird.

Hopefully Mason’s answer — “In my sleep, because I wouldn’t want to suffer from any pain or anything” — was satisfactory for the team that inquired.