The Dallas Mavericks, or simply known as the Mavs, is a professional basketball team is based in Dallas, Texas. This basketball team competes as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division National Basketball Association or NBA. The Dallas Maverick plays their home game at the American Airlines Center. All throughout the 1980s, this basketball team is considered to be a perennial playoff team, and they were led by All-Stars Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman. In this article, we are going to know more about the history of the Dallas Mavericks and some interesting facts about them. 

History of Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks was formed in 1980, at first, the league was hesitant to expand to Dallas because Texas had both the Houston Rockets and the Spurs. Other than that, season 78-79 was unpopular and unprofitable. However, NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien announced that they would add two new teams in the next season, and these teams are from Minneapolis and Dallas. But, in 1989, Minnesota backed out, and only Dallas remained. After several negotiations, the expansion fee for the Dallas Mavericks was paid, and the team pushed through. 

Just like any other expansion teams, they also struggled during their first seasons in the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks bagged their first winning season in 1984. The team continued to improve their roster with talent by having savvy draft choices during the mid-1980s. It was also during this time when the Dallas Mavericks drafted Kiki Vandeweghe. However, Vandeweghe refused to play for the Mavericks, and he even staged a holdout that lasted for a month into the Maverick’s inaugural season. Vandeweghe was later traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for two future first-round picks, namely Rolando Blackman and Sam Perkins. In 1986, Rolando Blackman represented the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA All-Star Game which was hosted by Dallas and held at the Reunion Arena. Season 1986-1987 proved to be the most successful regular season for the Dallas Mavericks. 

When the 1990s came, the Dallas Mavericks went through several changes, most of the star players in the team decided to leave Dallas either via trades or free agency. This resulted in a prolonged period of ineffectiveness. The Dallas Mavericks had a losing streak during the following decade, and it includes a back-to-back unhappy season of 11-71 and 13-69. 

When Steve Nash joined the team as its point guard and Dirk Nowitzki as their forward just before the 1998-1999 season, the Dallas Mavericks started to have a turnaround moment. And in 2000, Mark Cuban, an internet entrepreneur, purchased the Dallas Mavericks, and he initiated a new era of free-spending for the team. Mark Cuban became one other NBA’s most flashy and outspoken owner. He even upgraded the team’s facilities and made Dallas, Texas, an attractive location especially for free agents. The Dallas Mavericks routinely became one of the top teams in the Western Conference during the first decade of the 21st century despite Steve Nash leaving the team.  

Through the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Dallas Mavericks continued to be one of the NBA’s better teams. In fact, they have become the fourth basketball team in the league’s history to have 10 consecutive seasons that have at least 50 victories. It is all because of the tremendous playoff scoring that was done by Dirk Nowitzki. That is why the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Miami Heat and bagged their first NBA championship.

Interesting Facts About the Dallas Mavericks

• The name of the Dallas Mavericks was inspired after a TV show entitled Maverick. This was after a fan chose the title over the other options like the Express and the Wranglers. 
• The owner of Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, is facing massive fines every year for making rude comments during game season. 
• When the Dallas Mavericks entered as an expansion team in 1980, they entered the league together with a basketball team in Minneapolis. 
• From December 2001 to the 2017 season, the Dallas Mavericks sold out about 704 consecutive games. 
• Dirk Nowitzki has the most awards and records of all the former members of the Dallas Mavericks. Some of those awards are 1-time MVP, 13-time All-Star, and 1-time Finals MVP. Dirk Nowitzki is also the first player that played 21 consecutive years in just one team. 
• The Dallas Mavericks took home their first winning season during their fourth year in the league. This was also the time when the Mavericks reached the playoffs for the first time. 
• The Dallas Mavericks have won 1359 games and lost 1529 games during the regular season. 

Greatest Players in Dallas Maverick’s History

• Dirk Nowitzki – Dirk Nowitzki was added to the team in 1999, and since then, he helped the team to make it to the NBA Finals. He has been hailed as the league’s MVP and made Dallas Mavericks one of the elite teams in the NBA. 
• Mark Aguirre – Mark Aguirre joined the team in 1982 when he was drafted as the first overall pick during the 1981 NBA Draft. Aguirre ranked third in franchise history, where he scored 13,930 points, behind Rolando Blackman and Dirk Nowitzki. 
• Derek Harper – He was added to the team in 1984 as a point guard. Harper helped the Mavericks to within one game of the NBA Finals during 1988. He is known to regularly shot the ball well and as a catalyst for an offense along with Sam Perkins, Rolando Blackman, Sam Donaldson, and Roy Tarpley.
• Rolando Blackman – Blackman joined the Mavericks in 1981 as their shooting guard. He was known as one of the greatest players in Mavericks’ history and as the second all-time leading playoff scorer until Dirk Nowitzki joined the team. Rolando Blackman played on six Dallas playoff teams, and he managed to establish himself as one of the greatest shooters in the franchise. 
• Steve Nash – Nash joined the Mavericks in 1999 as a trade from Phoenix. He helped the Dallas Mavericks became a member of the NBA’s elite teams during the early 2000s.