The Dallas Mavericks franchise has existed in the NBA for over forty years, as its inaugural season was back in 1980-81 when it was an expansion team. Over the last four decades, the Mavericks have won one title — in 2011 — and made the NBA Finals twice (in 2006 and 2011). Compared to teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the Mavericks might not seem like a successful franchise, but this isn't the case.
The Mavericks are far from the most accomplished NBA franchise, but they have still enjoyed plenty of success. The Mavericks have been a consistent threat to make the postseason for decades now, dating back to the early 2000s. And the franchise has been fortunate enough to have some of the best players ever to play the game of basketball, such as Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Luka Doncic, among others.
With all of that being said, let's rank the top 10 greatest players ever to don a Dallas Mavericks jersey in the history of the franchise.
10. Jason Kidd
Kidd spent eight years of his NBA career as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. During his first time with the team early in his career, which lasted three seasons from 1994-95 to 1996-97, Kidd emerged as one of the best young defenders and playmakers in the game, as he never averaged less than 1.9 steals or 7.7 assists per game in any single season during this stretch. And during his second stint with the franchise in the twilight of his career, Kidd may not have been the elite point guard of yesteryear, but he proved to be invaluable to the 2011 Mavericks team that went on to win the NBA championship.
9. Jason Terry
One of the greatest three-point shooters and sixth men in NBA history, Terry spent eight seasons as a member of the Dallas Mavericks franchise from 2004-05 to 2011-12. Terry averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting a very efficient 38.8% from behind the three-point arc across 619 total regular season games played with the organization (285 starts). Like Kidd, Terry was an invaluable member of the 2011 Mavericks title team — he scored 18.0 points per game against the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.
8. Josh Howard
Howard was a dependable scorer and rebounder at the forward position during his seven-season stint with the Mavs from 2003-04 to 2009-10. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest on 45.4% shooting from the field across 431 regular season games with the Mavericks. Howard even made the All-Star team one season, back in 2006-07, when he averaged 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He should be remembered as one of the more underrated players of his generation.
7. Steve Nash
It wasn't until Nash landed with the Phoenix Suns mid-way through his NBA career that he reached his prime, but he was still a great scorer and playmaker with the Mavs. Nash averaged 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game during his eight seasons as Dirk Nowitzki's second fiddle and made back-to-back All-Star teams in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Nash's Mavericks career was one of the biggest what if's in team history. If he played with Dirk Nowitzki for a longer period of time, it's very possible that Nash would be much higher on this list and that the Mavericks would have more than just one title in franchise history
6. Michael Finley
Finley played for four different teams across his 15-year NBA career — the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and the Boston Celtics — but he spent the lion's share of his pro stint with the Mavs. Finley spent nine seasons with Dallas and was an uber-impactful two-way player with the team, as he averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game across 626 regular season games with the Mavericks. Also, Finley was named to back-to-back All-Star teams in 1999-00 and 2000-01 and led the entire NBA in minutes played per game in both of those seasons.
5. Derek Harper
One of the longest-tenured Mavs on this list, Harper spent 11 and a half seasons of his pro career with Dallas. And Harper made a name for himself thanks to his elite playmaking ability and defensive chops, as he dished out 5.9 assists and came up with 1.8 steals per game across his 872 total regular season games played with the franchise. Puzzlingly, though, Harper never ended up earning a spot on an All-Star team with the Mavericks, but he was more than deserving of at least one appearance.
4. Rolando Blackman
Rolando Blackman spent 11 of his 13 years in the NBA as a member of the Dallas Mavericks franchise. He is best known for his terrific scoring ability, as he averaged 19.2 points per game across his 865 regular season games with the team. Blackman was also a four-time All-Star with the Mavs — he made the team back in 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, and 1989-90. After his 11 years in Dallas, he finished his NBA career with the New York Knicks and played two seasons with them before deciding to head overseas to play basketball.
3. Mark Aguirre
One of the most talented scorers of his generation, Mark Aguirre was the best small forward ever to suit up for the Dallas Mavericks. He spent eight of his 13 seasons in the pros with the Mavs and averaged 24.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game across 923 total regular season games played with the team. Aguirre made the All-Star game three times as a member of the Mavericks but probably deserved more appearances considering how prolific of a scorer he truly was. He had a stretch during his Mavericks career where he averaged over 25 points per game in four out of five seasons.
2. Luka Doncic
The only player currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks that's on this list, Luka Doncic is on track to end his career as one of the greatest NBA players ever. He already has an incredibly impressive resume with just five years of pro experience under his belt, as he's a four-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA selection, and won the league's Rookie of the Year award. But along with his impressive individual accolades, Doncic has also experienced plenty of postseason success — he averages 32.5 points per game for his postseason career and led the Mavericks all the way to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. And with Kyrie Irving now on Doncic's team as a co-star, if the Mavericks can add a few more solid pieces around them, Doncic could very well lead the Mavericks to a title in the near future. All in all, don't be surprised if Doncic solidifies his place as the best player in Mavericks history by the time he retires from the game of basketball.
1. Dirk Nowitzki
With all due respect to Luka Doncic, Mark Aguirre, and all of the other players on this list, it's clear who the best player in Mavericks history is at this point in time, and that's power forward Dirk Nowitzki. The longest-tenured Maverick on this list, Nowitzki spent the entirety of his 21-year NBA career with the organization. He was a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA selection, a one-time league MVP, and was named to the NBA's 75th-anniversary team. But Nowitzki's most impressive accolade of all is his 2011 NBA title. He led the Mavs to a championship that year and put together a playoff run for the ages.
Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game across a whopping 1522 total regular season games played with the organization. Nowitzki's greatness put the Mavericks on the map as a franchise and helped establish the team's reputation as a well-run and successful organization. Because of this, he stands out as the greatest player ever to wear a Dallas Mavericks uniform.
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