The Mavericks have four retired jersey numbers: the number 12 jersey worn by Derek Harper, the number 15 jersey worn by Brad Davis, the number 22 jersey worn by Rolando Blackman, and the number 41 jersey worn by Dirk Nowitzki.[17] Davis, who played 12 seasons with the Mavericks until his retirement in 1992, had his number 15 jersey retired by the franchise in November 1992.[18] Blackman, who played 11 seasons with the Mavericks after being selected by the team in the 1981 draft, had his number 22 jersey retired in March 2000.[19] Harper, who played parts of 12 seasons in two stints with the Mavericks starting with the 1983 draft, had his number 12 jersey retired in January 2018.[20] Nowitzki had his number 41 jersey retired in January 2022.[21] In January 2020 Kobe Bryant's no. 24 jersey was unofficially retired following his death even though he never played for the team.[22]
In 1998, the Mavericks acquired Canadian guard Steve Nash from the Phoenix Suns and the draft rights to German forward Dirk Nowitzki from the Milwaukee Bucks.[341] Nash and Nowitzki quickly became the cornerstone of the franchise and in 2001 they led the Mavericks to their first playoffs in 11 years.[342] However, Nash returned to the Suns as a free agent in 2004, while Nowitzki continued with the team and finally led the Mavericks to their first NBA title in 2011.[343][344] In the 1999 draft, the Mavericks drafted Chinese center Wang Zhizhi.[339] After almost two years of negotiation with Wang's Chinese team, he was finally signed in April 2001 and became the first Chinese player to play the NBA.[345][346]
The following is a list of international players who have played for the Mavericks, listed by their national team affiliation.
Samuel Dalembert (born in Haiti, became a naturalized Canadian citizen, represented Canada internationally)
Jamaal Magloire (born in Canada but never represented Canada internationally)[349]
Steve Nash (born in South Africa to an English father and a Welsh mother, grew up in Canada, became a naturalized Canadian citizen, represented Canada internationally)[350]
Kelenna Azubuike (born in England to Nigerian parents, grew up in the United States, but does not hold British citizenship and never represented either England, Great Britain, Nigeria or United States internationally)
Rolando Blackman (born in Panama, grew up in the United States, became a naturalized U.S. citizen, represented the United States internationally)[338][353]
Wallace Bryant (born in Spain, has dual U.S. and Spanish citizenships but never represented either United States or Spain internationally)[354]
1 2 "Monday Bullets". ESPN.com. April 30, 2007. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. NBA VP of International Relations Terry Lyons explains that after encountering several tough cases, the league simply decided to "draw a circle around the fifty states" and say that if you weren't from there (by birth, upbringing, passport, etc.) you counted as an international player.
↑ MacMullan, Jackie (July 1, 1998). "A Perfect 10". CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
↑ "Breaking down barriers". CNN Sports Illustrated. Time Warner Company. April 3, 2001. Archived from the original on April 13, 2001. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
↑ Grange, Michael (September 8, 2011). "Same old story". SportsNet. Rogers Communications. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
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