DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks hired assistant coach Alex Jensen away from the Utah Jazz before the start of the 2023-2024 season.
But it's not just coaches and players who make the moves in the NBA. It's their families, too.
Jensen's wife, Natalie, and their three daughters are now Texans. So, Natalie Jensen invited us into their home to talk about the big move - and about her own career on the big stage. And with so many people relocating to North Texas, she also has some advice to help make it feel more like home.
"I found out on Twitter, on the 4th of July, while I was at the parade that we were moving to Dallas," Natalie Jensen said of their move last summer.
After a decade in her home state of Utah, Natalie had just weeks to find a house and new schools for her daughters. One month after that tweet, her husband officially joined the Mavericks as a new assistant coach.
Now, halfway into basketball season, she and her family feel like Texans.
"I do feel really at home here," she says.
Attend a Mavericks game, and you’ll likely see Natalie courtside. But what you might not realize is the mom of three spent years being center stage.
"I did a lot of stuff in LA, and in Utah. I did a lot of recording and camera work and then I found I really wanted to do Broadway," she told us.
Her first time in North Texas came when she was on tour and performed at Dallas’ Fair Park.
"I started with Hairspray, and I came to Dallas, and I bought my first pair of luxury shoes at Neiman Marcus, downtown," she said. "I got the popovers, so Dallas always held a special place in my heart because it was just so glamorous."
Natalie retired her nights on Broadway, but the skill she gained on stage help her navigate change.
"When you’re working with celebrities on Broadway, you realize that everybody is the same," Natalie said. "They have the same fears and the same insecurities that we all have. What everybody wants is connection."
Everything is a little intimidating anywhere you go for the first time.
"You just have to change your flight pattern; you have to get out and get involved so that you feel comfortable in your new space," she said. "I think that really is becoming my whole life motto is, be all in. You have to go and just be a part of things."
Her suggestions? Serve people, join a church or organization, get involved in your child’s school and be the first to approach people.
"Go knock on your neighbor’s door and bring them a treat," she said. "Once you offer a gesture of love it’s easy to connect with people."
And lean into your natural curiosity, she said: It’s associated with more satisfaction with life and greater well-being.
"I just am very curious," Jensen said. "I think that’s one of the things I want to instill in my daughters is kindness and curiosity because your life is so much more fun when you’re curious about the world around you."
And, she added, she’s just getting started exploring her new world.