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The Dallas Mavericks have had players of Hispanic origin in their 43-year history who have helped the franchise become one of the strongest in the NBA.
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we review here some of the Hispanic-American players who have excelled with the Texan squad.
Rolando Blackman
When he was drafted into the league, he became the first NBA player born in Panama.
He spent 11 seasons with the Mavericks and 13 years in the NBA.
He was selected by Dallas in the 1981 NBA Draft.
In his 11 seasons with the team, the guard averaged 19.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 3.2 assists per game.
He was four times to the All-Star Game.
The Mavericks made the playoffs six times with Blackman on the team.
Eduardo Najera
He made history when he became the first player born in Mexico to be selected for the NBA.
He spent four and a half seasons with the Mavericks and 12 years in the NBA.
He was selected by the Houston Rockets in the 2000 NBA Draft.
On draft night, he was dealt to Dallas, where he spent four seasons with the team and returned years later in a half-season trade.
In the five seasons he was in Dallas, the team made the playoffs.
JJ Barea
José Juan Barea Mora, better known as JJ Barea, was the Puerto Rican-born star of the Mavericks for a decade.
He spent 11 of his 14 years in the league in the Mavs organization.
Barea went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft.
He joined the Golden State Warriors in summer league and later joined the Mavericks to sign a multi-year deal with the team.
The Mavs reached the playoffs in eight of the seasons in which Barea was part of the Texan quintet.
The Puerto Rican was part of the Mavericks champion team in 2011.
Jose Calderon
The Spaniard spent one season with the Mavericks, the 2013-14 season. He spent 14 seasons in the NBA.
During the 2005 off-season, Toronto Raptors general manager Rob Babcock convinced Calderón to join the team.
He spent several years in Toronto before being traded to the Detroit Pistons and finally signing with Dallas during the 2013 offseason.
Calderón made history playing for Toronto, setting the record for highest free throw percentage in a season with 98.1% accuracy.
He left his mark on NBA history and proved to many that Hispanic players could make a name for themselves in the best basketball league in the world.
Also read: Josh Reaves: The first Bolivian in NBA history plays for the Dallas Mavericks
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2023-08-25 21:33:29
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