Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is considered by many to be the greatest European player of all time. In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In 2023, Nowitzki was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards and passers of all time, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star, a five-time All-NBA First Team member, and a nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He won an NBA championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and was a two-time gold medal winner in the Olympics with the U.S. national team in 2000 and 2008. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Kidd was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
James Arthur Jackson is an American former professional basketball player. Over his 14 National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons, Jackson was on the active roster of 12 different teams, which was an NBA record shared with Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg, Chucky Brown, and Ish Smith; until Ish played with the Denver Nuggets, his 13th team, in the 2022–23 season. He is currently a basketball analyst for Fox Sports, Turner Sports and the Los Angeles Clippers on Bally Sports West, having previously worked for the Big Ten Network.
Keith Adam Van Horn is an American former professional basketball player. Van Horn played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Richard Allen Jefferson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on ESPN. He played college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats. Jefferson was drafted in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his first season with the New Jersey Nets. He won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He was also a member of the United States national team that won a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Brian Lee Cardinal is an American former professional basketball player. He played 456 games in the NBA between 2000 and 2012, and won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Before his NBA career, he was one of the best players in the history of Purdue University.
Zaza Pachulia is a Georgian professional basketball executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He helped the Warriors win two NBA championships in 2017 and 2018 as their starting center. He also played for the Georgia national team, captaining them in multiple tournaments.
Robert Terrell Cummings is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and was a lead player on several postseason teams while in Milwaukee and San Antonio.
Joe Barry Carroll is an American former professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After retiring from basketball, he became a wealth advisor, philanthropist, artist, author of the memoir Growing Up... In Words and Images, and recipient of the Hank Aaron Champion for Justice award.
Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports.
Kenneth Clay Gattison is an American former professional basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach.
Artis Wayne Cooper was an American professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Coop", he played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Denver Nuggets from 1978 to 1992. He was the Denver Nuggets’ all-time leader in blocks when he left the franchise in 1989. After his playing career ended, he worked as an executive with the Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Anthony Jarrad Morrow is an American former professional basketball player and executive who was most recently an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. He went undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft but was later signed by the Golden State Warriors. He was best known for his three-point shooting. In February 2023 he was arrested for multiple assault-related charges including kidnapping and strangulation for the alleged assault of his girlfriend.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Mavericks' 17th season in the National Basketball Association. The Mavericks had the ninth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Samaki Walker from the University of Louisville. In the off-season, the team signed free agents Chris Gatling, Oliver Miller, and former Mavs guard Derek Harper, and acquired Eric Montross from the Boston Celtics, and signed undrafted rookie guard Erick Strickland. Under new head coach Jim Cleamons, the Mavericks struggles continued with a 4–10 start in November. With the team not showing any improvement, they traded All-Star guard Jason Kidd to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for second-year star Michael Finley, Sam Cassell and A.C. Green in late December. The Mavericks continued to struggle as they held a 16–28 record at the All-Star break.
The 1996–97 NBA season was the Nets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association, and 21st season in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Nets had the eighth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected Kerry Kittles out of Villanova University. In the off-season, the team signed free agents Robert Pack, Tony Massenburg, Xavier McDaniel, who played overseas in Greece during the previous season, and David Benoit, who missed the entire season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Under new head coach John Calipari, the Nets continued to struggle losing their first five games of the season, which included two games against the Orlando Magic in Tokyo, Japan. The team held a 13–33 record at the All-Star break.
Jarrett Allen is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns and was selected 22nd overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 NBA draft. In January 2021, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the four-team blockbuster James Harden trade. In February 2022, Allen was named to his first NBA All-Star Game.
The 2022 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2021–22 season. The playoffs began on April 16 and ended on June 16 with the conclusion of the 2022 NBA Finals. The playoffs also returned to its normal April–June schedule for the first time since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in two postponements in 2020 and 2021.
