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59 free Dallas Mavericks trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Dallas Mavericks trivia quiz covers the whole franchise: the TV western that named the team, Don Carter's expansion club and Dick Motta, Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, the 11–71 and 13–69 seasons, the Three Js, Mark Cuban's arrival, Dirk Nowitzki's MVP and the 2006 collapse, the 2011 championship over Miami, Luka Dončić's arrival and 2024 Finals run, and the trade that sent him to the Lakers. Expect easy questions on the arena, the colours and the biggest names, plenty of history for regular fans, and hard ones about the tennis tournament that bumped a playoff game, the 'Trash Bags' uniforms and the record 27 players used in one season. Uniforms, rivalries with the Spurs and Heat, and ownership all get a turn. Every answer was checked against primary and encyclopaedic sources before it went in, so when you miss one you can trust the explanation. Play it solo or run it as a round at your next MFFL watch party. For the wider league, our NBA trivia page is the natural next stop.
30 of 59 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is the name of the arena the Mavericks have shared with the NHL's Dallas Stars since 2001?
American Airlines Center
American Airlines Center opened in 2001 after the Mavericks had spent their first two decades at Reunion Arena.
Q 02In which season did the Mavericks play their first NBA game?
1980–81
The Mavericks debuted in 1980–81, winning their first game 103–92 at the brand-new Reunion Arena on October 11, 1980.
Q 03The 'Mavericks' name was chosen by fans via postcards and taken from what?
A 1957–62 TV western starring James Garner
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.
Q 04Which Home Interiors and Gifts owner founded the Mavericks, partly as a gift to his wife?
Don Carter
Don Carter bankrolled the 1980 expansion franchise and remained its majority owner until selling control to Ross Perot Jr.'s group in 1996.
Q 05Which coach, fresh off the 1978 title with Washington, was the Mavericks' first head coach?
Dick Motta
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.
Q 06Which first-round pick refused to play for the expansion Mavericks and was traded to Denver?
Kiki VanDeWeghe
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.
Q 07Which guard, signed from the CBA's Anchorage Northern Knights, played 12 years for Dallas and had his No. 15 retired?
Brad Davis
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.
Q 08Whom did the Mavericks select with the first overall pick in the 1981 draft?
Mark Aguirre
He averaged 24.6 points over seven seasons; his No. 24 was retired in January 2026.
Q 09Where did the Mavericks play the deciding game of their first playoff series win in 1984, with Reunion Arena booked?
Moody Coliseum
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.
Q 10Which troubled Mavericks big man won 1988 Sixth Man of the Year and was later banned for life twice?
Roy Tarpley
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.
Q 11What was the Mavericks' record in 1992–93, then the second-worst in NBA history?
11–71
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.
Q 12Which nickname was given to the mid-1990s trio of Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn and the 1994 No. 2 pick?
The Three Js
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.
Q 13How many different players appeared for the 1996–97 Mavericks, then an NBA single-season record?
27
Dallas used 27 players in 1996–97, a revolving door that sent Mashburn, Jackson and the starting point guard out in mid-season trades.
Q 21Which former Spurs guard became head coach in March 2005 and Coach of the Year in 2006?
Avery Johnson
Avery Johnson went 194–70 in Dallas, a .735 regular-season winning percentage that stood as the franchise's best.
Q 22Which team beat the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals after Dallas won the first two games?
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat won four straight behind Dwyane Wade, who averaged 34.7 points in the series, after Dallas had led 2–0.
Q 23How much was Mark Cuban fined for 'several acts of misconduct' during the 2006 Finals?
$250,000
Mark Cuban's $250,000 fine came after Game 5; Dirk Nowitzki was docked $5,000 for kicking a ball into the stands.
Q 14Which 7-foot-6 centre came to Dallas in the 1997 trade that sent Jim Jackson and Sam Cassell to New Jersey?
Shawn Bradley
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.
Q 15For how much did Mark Cuban buy the Mavericks from Ross Perot Jr.'s group in January 2000?
$285 million
Mark Cuban paid $285 million for a majority stake in January 2000, a few months after selling Broadcast.com to Yahoo.
Q 16Which Mavericks signing in 2001 became the first Chinese player in the NBA?
Wang Zhizhi
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.
Q 17The Mavericks' 2001 rebrand swapped green and a cowboy hat logo for a horse and which colour scheme?
Midnight blue, royal blue and silver
Midnight blue, royal blue and silver replaced the green of the first two decades, echoing the Dallas Cowboys' palette.
Q 18How many straight games did the Mavericks win to open 2002–03, one short of the then-record?
14
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.
Q 19What nickname did fans give the silver alternate uniforms the Mavericks scrapped after one game in 2003?
Trash Bags
The shiny silver alternates, mocked as 'Trash Bags', were worn once, in the 2003–04 season opener on October 28, 2003, and never again.
Q 20Which rapper designed the green alternate 'Mavs' uniforms introduced in 2004–05?
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs
Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs designed the green 'Mavs' alternates, which revived the colour of the team's 1980s road uniforms.
Q 24What was the Mavericks' record in 2006–07, the season Dirk Nowitzki won MVP?
67–15
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.
Q 25Which coach led the eighth-seeded Warriors to their 2007 first-round upset of the Mavericks?
Don Nelson
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.
Q 26Which centre did the Mavericks acquire from Charlotte in July 2010?
Tyson Chandler
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.
Q 27Who was named MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals?
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki was the 2011 Finals MVP, averaging 26 points a game as Dallas won its first championship in six games.
Q 28How many points did Dirk Nowitzki score in Game 1 of the 2011 West finals vs the Thunder?
48
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.
Q 29By how many points did the Mavericks trail in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the 2011 Finals before rallying?
15
Down 15 at 88–73 with about seven minutes left, Dallas closed on a 22–5 run to win 95–93.
Q 30What was the score of Game 6 of the 2011 Finals, which gave Dallas its first championship?
105–95
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.