Dallas Mavericks Retired Numbers
The Dallas Mavericks have retired 4 numbers. Each one below records who wore it, the seasons they wore it, and what earned it a place in the rafters.
Back to Dallas MavericksDerek Harper
1983-1994, 1996-1997
Derek Harper's #12 hangs in the rafters of American Airlines Center because he gave Dallas a basketball identity before the city knew it wanted one. Drafted 11th overall by Dallas in 1983 out of the University of Illinois, Harper became one of the most disruptive perimeter defenders of the 1980s — quick hands, relentless energy, and a defensive instinct that bordered on supernatural. He earned NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors in 1987 and consistently ranked among the league leaders in steals.
Why #12 was retiredBrad Davis
1980-1992
Brad Davis's #15 hangs in the rafters of American Airlines Center as the humblest number in the group — the player without whom none of the others would have had a franchise to join. A 6-foot-3 point guard from Monessen, Pennsylvania, Davis played college basketball at Maryland and was selected in the second round of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Lakers before journeyman stints in Los Angeles, Indiana, and Utah.
Why #15 was retiredRolando Blackman
1981-1992
The Dallas Mavericks retired Rolando Blackman's number 22 on April 18, 2000, honoring the player who first proved this franchise could become something real. Blackman arrived in Dallas in 1981 as the ninth overall pick from Kansas State — a composed shooting guard from Brooklyn, New York, born in Panama City, Panama.
Why #22 was retiredDirk Nowitzki
1998-2019
June 12, 2011. The American Airlines Arena in Miami fell quiet in the wrong way for the home crowd, and Dirk Nowitzki walked off the floor before the final buzzer of Game 6. He was a champion now, and he could not stay. He disappeared down the tunnel toward the locker room with the game still being played out behind him, sat alone, and wept into a towel where no camera could find him. Five years earlier, in nearly the same building, he had blown a 2-0 lead in the Finals and walked off as the symbol of a team that could not finish.
Why #41 was retired