athlore
HomeDiscoverLibrarySign inCreate account
↗
⌂Home◎Discover⌕Library
Basketball / Teams
FRANCHISE

NBA franchise story

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas grew from a clever expansion contender into Dirk Nowitzki's model of continuity, then handed the franchise to another singular European creator in Luka Dončić.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Dallas Mavericks.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every curated card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Dallas Mavericks official team history ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1980–81—1989–90

01
DALAGUIRRE24Mark Aguirre
DALBLACKMAN22Rolando Blackman
DALHARPER12Derek Harper

Aguirre, Blackman and annual improvement

The expansion team grows fast

Dallas drafted aggressively, reached the playoffs by year four and pushed the Showtime Lakers to seven games in the 1988 conference finals.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1980–81—1989–90

02▼

Franchise era

1990–91—1997–98

02
DALKIDD2Jason Kidd
DALMASHBURN32Jamal Mashburn
DALJACKSON24Jim Jackson

Talent without stability

The lost decade and Triple J

A prolonged collapse produced a gifted young trio, but injuries and conflict prevented it from becoming a lasting foundation.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

1990–91—1997–98

03▼

Franchise era

1998–99—2010–11

03
DALNOWITZKI41Dirk Nowitzki
DALNASH13Steve Nash
DALFINLEY4Michael Finley

Shooting changes the geometry of power forward

Dirk's climb to the title

Nowitzki became an MVP and perennial contender, then completed one of the sport's great redemption runs with the 2011 championship.

Read the era story →

Chapter 03

1998–99—2010–11

04▼

Franchise era

2011–12—2017–18

04
DALNOWITZKI41Dirk Nowitzki
DALELLIS11Monta Ellis
DALBARNES40Harrison Barnes

Keeping a legend competitive

The late-Dirk bridge

Dallas cycled through short-term casts around Nowitzki while protecting the continuity of his record-setting career.

Read the era story →

Chapter 04

2011–12—2017–18

05

Franchise era

2018–19—present

05
DALDONČIĆ77Luka Dončić
DALIRVING11Kyrie Irving
DALBRUNSON13Jalen Brunson

A new heliocentric superstar

The Luka era

Dončić immediately became an offensive engine, leading Dallas to the 2024 Finals before the franchise made another dramatic change of direction.

Read the era story →

Chapter 05

2018–19—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Dallas Mavericks games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
2006
GAME3
MIAMIHEAT
DALLASMAVERICKS
JUN 13, 2006

Heat vs Mavericks

Jun 13, 2006

#02 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
2011
GAME2
DALLASMAVERICKS
MIAMIHEAT
JUN 2, 2011

Mavericks vs Heat

Jun 2, 2011

#03 · NBA Finals

NBA Finals
2011
GAME6
DALLASMAVERICKS
MIAMIHEAT
JUN 12, 2011

Mavericks vs Heat

Jun 12, 2011

#04 · Regular Season

Regular Season
2023
DALLASMAVERICKS
ATLANTAHAWKS
JAN 26, 2024

Mavericks vs Hawks

Jan 26, 2024

#05 · First Round

First Round
2005
GAME2
HOUSTONROCKETS
DALLASMAVERICKS
APR 25, 2005

Rockets vs Mavericks

Apr 25, 2005

Season history

Past seasons

46 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Dallas Mavericks games

3,956 total · loaded 10 at a time