Derek Harper is 1 of 4 Dallas Mavericks players to have their jersey number retired.
The Dallas Mavericks were founded 44 years ago in 1980. Despite fielding a roster of talented players over the years, only four Dallas Mavericks have had their jerseys retired. Let’s highlight the career accomplishments of these players.
12 — Dereck Harper
Harper’s career began modestly after being selected No. 11 in the 1983 NBA draft. Harper ultimately earned his place in Mavericks lore by averaging 14.4 points, 5.9 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals across 872 games, while earning NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors (1987, 1990) twice.
15 — Brad Davis
Selected 15th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1977 Draft, Davis found a home in Dallas during the team’s inaugural season. He went on to play 883 of his 961 career games with the Mavericks, logging all 396 of his starts in the Lone Star State. During his Dallas tenure, Davis averaged 8.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting a cool 51 percent across 24.2 minutes per contest.
22 — Rolando Blackman
Blackman was one of the Mavericks’ earliest stars, landing in Dallas as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 draft, the team’s second draft in franchise history. He made an immediate impact, averaging 13.3 points on 51.3 percent shooting in his first season. Blackman had a stellar 11-year run with the Mavericks that featured four All-Star nods and averages of 19.2 points per contest (on 49.7 percent shooting) over 865 career games.
41 — Dirk Nowitzki
“Mr. Maverick,” a perennial All-Star and a cornerstone of the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons, is widely regarded as the franchise’s greatest player. Nowitzki played his entire NBA career for the Mavericks and accumulated a seemingly endless number of accolades, including 14 All-Star nods, one NBA championship, one NBA Finals MVP, league MVP (2006-07) and four NBA All-NBA First Team honors. For his career, Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds. He was even better in the postseason, clocking 25.3 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal across 145 playoff contests.
