Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks joined the NBA in 1980 after years of buildup. The franchise was initially mediocre. But early in the 2000s, the Mavericks (“Mavs”) became one of the most popular franchises partially due to new owner Mark Cuban’s involvement. Plus, Dirk Nowitzki has been synonymous with the franchise, as he leads Mavericks’ team stats and records.

Since Cuban took over for the franchise, the Mavericks have consistently been a winning team. Folks will rarely find a bad Dallas team on the NBA odds. Currently, Luka Doncic has taken over for Nowitzki as the franchise’s superstar. He just might be the face of the NBA, and a second NBA title may not be that far off.

General Information

Conference & Division

• Founded: 1980
• Conference: Western
• Division: Southwest

City: Dallas, Texas

Stadium: American Airlines Center

Championships & Titles

Years:

• NBA Championship
• 2 Conference Championships
• 4 Division Titles

Dallas Mavericks All-Time Records

Most points all-time:

• Dirk Nowitzki, 31,560

Most rebounds all-time:

• Dirk Nowitzki, 11,489

Most assists all-time:

• Derek Harper, 5,111

Most steals all-time:

• Derek Harper, 1,551

Most blocks all-time:

• Dirk Nowitzki, 1,281

Most wins all-time (coach):

• Rick Carlisle, 555

Dallas Mavericks Stats & Team History

Despite a rough inaugural season where the team won just 15 games, the Mavericks developed into a competitive team in the mid-1980s. Stars like Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman led the Mavs to repeat playoff performances, including a 1988 Conference Finals appearance where they almost took down the “Showtime” Lakers.

But following the departures of Aguirre and Blackman, the franchise became moribund during the 1990s. Dallas failed to make the playoffs for nine of the ten years in the decade. Their 36-win season in 1994-95, aided by co-Rookie of the Year winner Jason Kidd, was their best showing until 1999. Kidd was ultimately traded away in 1996.

The 1998-99 season saw the franchise begin its rebirth. Don Nelson entered his first full season as the team’s head coach. Dallas drafted Nowitzki in the 1998 NBA Draft and acquired Steve Nash. Cuban purchased the team in 2000 and rebranded the Mavs to become a “cooler” franchise.

The team broke through during the 2000-01 season, as both Nowitzki and Nash developed into All-Stars alongside Michael Finley. With the “Run and Gun Nellie Ball”, Dallas became an exciting contender that consistently made the NBA playoffs.

Even with Nash and Finley’s departures, the Mavericks managed to reach the NBA Finals in 2006. They fell short, painfully. In the following season, despite an MVP season from Nowitzki, the franchise unflatteringly became the first one-seed to lose to an eight-seed in a seven-game format.

After several more seasons of falling short in the playoffs, the Mavericks had a storybook-like run in 2011. Aided by Jason Terry and aging NBA stars like Kidd, Nowitzki carried the Mavericks back to the NBA Finals. There, Dallas exacted revenge against Miami to win its first NBA Championship.

As an aging group, the Mavericks gradually declined. Nowitzki stayed with the franchise until the 2018-19 season, when he welcomed the team’s new superstar: Doncic. The Slovenian captured the Rookie of the Year and led the Mavericks’ team stats.

Doncic continues to progress as a superstar, and most recently led Dallas to the Conference Finals. As he keeps developing, watch out for the Mavericks, as they may win another NBA Championship soon.

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