59 Fun Facts About Dallas Mavericks

What is the name of the arena the Mavericks have shared with the NHL's Dallas Stars since 2001?

American Airlines Center opened in 2001 after the Mavericks had spent their first two decades at Reunion Arena.

In which season did the Mavericks play their first NBA game?

The Mavericks debuted in 1980–81, winning their first game 103–92 at the brand-new Reunion Arena on October 11, 1980.

The 'Mavericks' name was chosen by fans via postcards and taken from what?

A 1957–62 TV western starring James Garner, 'Maverick', supplied the name; Garner was part of the original ownership group, and 'Wranglers' and 'Express' lost the fan vote.

Which Home Interiors and Gifts owner founded the Mavericks, partly as a gift to his wife?

Don Carter bankrolled the 1980 expansion franchise and remained its majority owner until selling control to Ross Perot Jr.'s group in 1996.

Which coach, fresh off the 1978 title with Washington, was the Mavericks' first head coach?

Dick Motta, who had just coached the Bullets to the 1978 title, led Dallas from its debut through 1987 and returned for a second stint from 1994 to 1996.

Which first-round pick refused to play for the expansion Mavericks and was traded to Denver?

Kiki VanDeWeghe, the 11th overall pick out of UCLA, never suited up for Dallas and was dealt to Denver for draft picks, one of which became Rolando Blackman.

Which guard, signed from the CBA's Anchorage Northern Knights, played 12 years for Dallas and had his No. 15 retired?

Brad Davis joined Dallas from the CBA during the team's first season and stayed through 1992, when he became the first Maverick to have his number retired.

Whom did the Mavericks select with the first overall pick in the 1981 draft?

He averaged 24.6 points over seven seasons; his No. 24 was retired in January 2026.

Where did the Mavericks play the deciding game of their first playoff series win in 1984, with Reunion Arena booked?

Moody Coliseum, SMU's home gym, hosted the deciding Game 5 of the 1984 first-round series, which Dallas won to beat Seattle three games to two.

Which troubled Mavericks big man won 1988 Sixth Man of the Year and was later banned for life twice?

Roy Tarpley's third substance-abuse violation in 1991 brought the first ban; reinstated for 1994–95, he was banned for life again in 1995.

What was the Mavericks' record in 1992–93, then the second-worst in NBA history?

Dallas went 11–71 in 1992–93, two wins better than the 9–73 NBA record low set in 1972–73; holdout rookie Jim Jackson did not sign until March.

Which nickname was given to the mid-1990s trio of Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn and the 1994 No. 2 pick?

The Three Js lasted barely two seasons together: all three were traded away between December 1996 and February 1997, and Dallas missed the playoffs every year they played.

How many different players appeared for the 1996–97 Mavericks, then an NBA single-season record?

Dallas used 27 players in 1996–97, a revolving door that sent Mashburn, Jackson and the starting point guard out in mid-season trades.

Which 7-foot-6 centre came to Dallas in the 1997 trade that sent Jim Jackson and Sam Cassell to New Jersey?

Shawn Bradley, the 7-foot-6 former No. 2 overall pick, arrived from New Jersey in the nine-player February 1997 deal and finished his career in Dallas in 2005.

For how much did Mark Cuban buy the Mavericks from Ross Perot Jr.'s group in January 2000?

Mark Cuban paid $285 million for a majority stake in January 2000, a few months after selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo.

Which Mavericks signing in 2001 became the first Chinese player in the NBA?

Wang Zhizhi, a 7-foot-1 centre Dallas had drafted in the second round in 1999, debuted in April 2001, a year and a half before Yao Ming arrived.

The Mavericks' 2001 rebrand swapped green and a cowboy hat logo for a horse and which colour scheme?

Midnight blue, royal blue and silver replaced the green of the first two decades, echoing the Dallas Cowboys' palette.

How many straight games did the Mavericks win to open 2002–03, one short of the then-record?

Dallas won its first 14 games, one shy of the then-record opening streak, and finished 60–22 before losing Dirk Nowitzki to injury in the conference finals.

What nickname did fans give the silver alternate uniforms the Mavericks scrapped after one game in 2003?

The shiny silver alternates, mocked as 'Trash Bags', were worn once, in the 2003–04 season opener on October 28, 2003, and never again.

Which rapper designed the green alternate 'Mavs' uniforms introduced in 2004–05?

Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs designed the green 'Mavs' alternates, which revived the colour of the team's 1980s road uniforms.

Which former Spurs guard became head coach in March 2005 and Coach of the Year in 2006?

Avery Johnson went 194–70 in Dallas, a .735 regular-season winning percentage that stood as the franchise's best.

Which team beat the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals after Dallas won the first two games?

The Miami Heat won four straight behind Dwyane Wade, who averaged 34.7 points in the series, after Dallas had led 2–0.

How much was Mark Cuban fined for 'several acts of misconduct' during the 2006 Finals?

Mark Cuban's $250,000 fine came after Game 5; Dirk Nowitzki was docked $5,000 for kicking a ball into the stands.

What was the Mavericks' record in 2006–07, the season Dirk Nowitzki won MVP?

Dallas finished 67–15, the best record in the league, then became the first top seed to lose a best-of-seven first-round series.

Which coach led the eighth-seeded Warriors to their 2007 first-round upset of the Mavericks?

Don Nelson, who had coached Dallas until March 2005, had already beaten his old team three times that regular season before the 4–2 series upset.

Which centre did the Mavericks acquire from Charlotte in July 2010?

Tyson Chandler, acquired for Erick Dampier's non-guaranteed contract, anchored the defence of the 2011 title team and made the All-Defensive Second Team.

Who was named MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals?

Dirk Nowitzki was the 2011 Finals MVP, averaging 26 points a game as Dallas won its first championship in six games.

How many points did Dirk Nowitzki score in Game 1 of the 2011 West finals vs the Thunder?

Dirk Nowitzki's 48 points included a playoff-record 24-of-24 from the free-throw line, and he missed only three field-goal attempts all night.

By how many points did the Mavericks trail in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 Finals before rallying?

Down 15 at 88–73 with about seven minutes left, Dallas closed on a 22–5 run to win 95–93.

What was the score of Game 6 of the 2011 Finals, which gave Dallas its first championship?

Dallas won Game 6 on the road 105–95; Dirk Nowitzki bolted for the locker room at the buzzer and had to be coaxed back out for the trophy ceremony.

Which player, later the team's head coach, was the point guard on the 2011 championship team?

Jason Kidd, then 38, ran the 2011 title team's offence and returned as head coach in June 2021 for his third stint with the franchise.

The 2011–12 Mavericks became only the third defending champion to suffer what fate?

Being swept in the first round by Oklahoma City made Dallas only the third defending champion to go out that way, and the first since 2007.

Which team did the Mavericks beat 123–70 in November 2014, their biggest win to that point?

The Philadelphia 76ers lost 123–70 on November 13, 2014, a 53-point margin that topped Dallas's previous best, a 50-point win in January 2010.

How many seasons did Dirk Nowitzki play for the Mavericks, his only NBA team?

Dirk Nowitzki played 21 seasons in Dallas, from 1998–99 through 2018–19, the most any player had spent with a single franchise.

Which team drafted Luka Dončić third overall in 2018 before trading him to Dallas on draft night?

The Atlanta Hawks moved down two spots in the draft-night swap and also collected a protected 2019 first-round pick from Dallas.

Which star did the Mavericks get from the Knicks in January 2019 for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and two firsts?

Kristaps Porziņģis arrived while rehabbing a torn ACL; the 2023 first-rounder Dallas sent back was top-10 protected, which is why the team sat its stars late that season.

Where did Luka Dončić record a 41-point triple-double against Detroit in December 2019?

Dončić's 41 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against Detroit came in Mexico City on December 12, 2019, his second 40-point triple-double of that season.

Which 64-win team did the Mavericks upset in 2022, winning Game 7 by 33 on the road?

The Phoenix Suns led the series 3–2 before Dallas took Games 6 and 7, winning the finale 123–90 in Phoenix with Dončić scoring 35.

Whom did the Mavericks acquire from Brooklyn in 2023 for Finney-Smith and Dinwiddie?

Kyrie Irving came over in February 2023 along with Markieff Morris, but Dallas still missed the playoffs and re-signed him that summer.

Which team beat the Mavericks in five games in the 2024 NBA Finals?

The Boston Celtics won in five; Dallas's lone win was a 122–84 Game 4 blowout, a 38-point margin that ranked third-largest in Finals history.

Which player did the Mavericks get from the Lakers in the February 2025 Luka Dončić trade?

Anthony Davis came to Dallas with Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick; the general manager defended the deal by saying 'defense wins championships'.

The Mavericks beat sub-2 percent odds to win the 2025 lottery and picked whom first overall?

Cooper Flagg, the Duke freshman forward, went first overall in June 2025 after Dallas jumped from the 11th-best odds to win the lottery.

Which casino magnates bought a majority stake in the Mavericks in December 2023?

Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont, of the Las Vegas Sands family, took control; Mark Cuban kept a minority stake, and Dumont replaced him as governor.

Which ex-AT&T executive became the first Black woman CEO of an NBA franchise with the Mavericks in 2018?

Cynthia Marshall, a longtime AT&T executive, was hired as CEO in February 2018 after a Sports Illustrated investigation into workplace misconduct in the front office.

Which team did the Mavericks beat in their first-ever NBA game?

The San Antonio Spurs lost 103–92 at Reunion Arena in the Mavericks' debut, a rare highlight of an expansion season that ended with 67 losses.

Which ABA team, later the Spurs, was the city's previous professional basketball franchise?

The Dallas Chaparrals played in the ABA from 1967 until 1973, when the franchise relocated to San Antonio.

Which Grammy-winning artist co-designed the Mavericks' 2023–24 'City' uniform honouring R&B history?

Leon Bridges, the Grammy-winning soul singer from Fort Worth, co-designed the black 2023–24 City Edition uniform.

The Mavericks' 2020–21 'City' uniform in white, gold and silver was inspired by which Dallas symbol?

Pegasus, the red flying horse that has crowned the Magnolia building downtown since 1934, inspired the uniform.

Where in the 1984 draft did the Mavericks take Sam Perkins?

Fourth overall in 1984 was Sam Perkins, taken right after Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan; he spent six seasons in Dallas before leaving as a free agent in 1990.

Which coach's autocratic style produced a 13–69 season in 1993–94 and got him fired?

Quinn Buckner, a former Bobby Knight player at Indiana, went 13–69 in his only season as an NBA head coach and was fired after it.

Which player did Mark Cuban let live in his house for a week before signing him in 2000?

Dennis Rodman stayed in Cuban's guest house before signing in February 2000; he lasted only 12 games and was waived in March.

Which point guard was acquired alongside Dirk Nowitzki in 1998, forming a future MVP pair?

Steve Nash arrived in a 1998 draft-night trade; he and Nowitzki powered the 2000–01 team to 53 wins and the franchise's first playoff trip since 1990.

Who was hired as Mavericks head coach in May 2008 after a first-round playoff exit?

Rick Carlisle, previously the coach in Detroit and Indiana, was hired on May 9, 2008, and led Dallas for 13 seasons, including the 2011 title.

Whose controversial 2009 playoff three, after an uncalled foul by Antoine Wright, beat Dallas 106-105?

Carmelo Anthony's three with one second left put Denver up 3–0; the league admitted a foul should have been called on Antoine Wright, and the Nuggets won in five.

Which team did the Mavericks rout 128–78 in January 2010?

The New York Knicks lost 128–78 at Dallas on January 24, 2010, a 50-point margin that stood as the club record until 2014.

Whose buzzer-beater won Game 3 of the 2014 first-round series against the top-seeded Spurs?

Vince Carter's corner three at the horn won Game 3 109–108, answering a Manu Ginóbili shot with 1.7 seconds left; the top seed took the series in seven.

Which two players came out of the picks Dallas traded away for Luka Dončić in 2018?

Trae Young and Cam Reddish were the fifth pick in 2018 and the tenth in 2019, the two selections Dallas surrendered on draft night.

Which general manager defended the 2025 Dončić trade by saying 'defense wins championships'?

Nico Harrison, the Mavericks' general manager since 2021, negotiated the deal quietly with a single front office; Dončić was not told until it was done.

Whose No. 12 did the Mavericks retire in January 2018?

Derek Harper, who played 12 seasons in Dallas and retired as the franchise's career steals leader, had his No. 12 retired in January 2018.