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In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki went on a tear in the playoffs, leading the Dallas Mavericks to the team's first-ever NBA championship.
It was a healing moment for Mavs fans who witnessed the team defeat the Miami Heat after losing to them five years. Dirk and company took out the Miami Heat super-team of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.
Along the way, the Mavericks swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, led by the late Kobe Bryant and his running mate, Pau Gasol. Nowitzki was voted the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
2010-11 Dallas Mavericks roster
This is the roster at the time when the Mavs won the title:
- J.J. Barea
- Rodrigue Beaubois
- Corey Brewer
- Caron Butler
- Brian Cardinal
- Tyson Chandler
- Brendan Haywood
- Dominique Jones
- Jason Kidd
- Ian Mahinmi
- Shawn Marion
- Dirk Nowitzki
- DeShawn Stevenson
- Peja Stojakovic
- Jason Terry
Where are they now?
Jason Kidd
Kidd is now the head coach for this Dallas Mavericks team.
After retiring as a player in 2013 from the New York Knicks, Kidd became the Brooklyn Nets head coach, then led the Milwaukee Bucks for four seasons before being fired, he went to the Lakers as an assistant and won a title in 2020, then became Dallas' head coach in 2021.
Kidd is the only head coach in Mavericks history to make the Western Conference Finals twice (2021, 2023).
Rick Carlisle
Carlisle was the head coach for the 2011 Mavericks championship team and is the longest-tenured coach in franchise history (2008-2021).
After the second straight season of losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Carlisle stepped down as Mavs head coach with two years left on his contract. Carlisle was superseded by Kidd, and he returned to the team he coached before coming to Dallas: the Indiana Pacers.
Carlisle led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals this season, where they got swept by the Boston Celtics.
Dirk Nowitzki
After playing 21 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks, Nowitzki retired from the NBA and stayed in the Dallas area, where he frequently attends Mavs games and holds events in the community. The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation holds an annual celebrity tennis tournament in Dallas, proceeds go to his foundation, which awards grants annually to organizations focusing on children’s well-being, health and education.
The Mavericks unveiled Dirk's statue outside of the American Airlines Center in 2022, cementing his legacy as one of, if not the single greatest Dallas sports figure.
Tyson Chandler
The rim-protecting specialist in 2011 is imparting his wisdom and skill onto the next generation of Mavs big men. While not an official assistant coach for the Mavericks, Chandler has been mentoring rookie center Dereck Lively II.
Chandler spoke about Lively on the All the Smoke Podcast, run by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson:
He's active, very athletic young kid, reminds me of myself a lot," said Chandler. "The funny thing, Jason, when I came to the gym the day after he got the pre-draft workout, and J-Kidd was like, 'Man, I wish you'd have come yesterday.' He was like, 'There's a kid that we're thinking about taking that reminds me a lot of like you.' He's like, 'And not cuz he's light skin, but he got the same attributes.'"
Jason Terry
After winning a title with the Mavs, Terry went on to play six more seasons in the NBA for the Celtics, Nets, Rockets and Bucks.
In September 2019, Terry was appointed assistant general manager of the Texas Legends of the NBA G League, ending his 19-year playing career.
In May 2020, Terry was appointed an assistant coach for the Arizona Wildcats, his alma mater. After one season in Arizona, he returned to the G League as the head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold, the new affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. Then, in July 2022, Terry joined the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach, where he remains today.
Shawn Marion
Marion retired from the NBA in 2015 after a 16-year career.
Marion has his location pinned on his X profile in Chicago and Dallas. He attended Chicago Cubs Opening Day and continues to share posts related to the Mavericks, so we assume he probably travels between the two cities often. Outside of that, Marion's whereabouts and endeavors were unclear.
On his birthday, he posted that he was in New Zealand.
J.J. Barea
Barea was waived from the Mavericks in 2020, and the Puerto Rican native signed with Movistar Estudiantes of the LEB Oro in January 2021. Then, he went to Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional and later retired from professional basketball in 2022.
Barea also served as a player development coach for the Mavericks in 2021.
Now, Barea is coaching for the Puerto Rican basketball team Mets de Guaynabo. He also runs camps with the J.J. Barea Foundation out of Puerto Rico.
DeShawn Stevenson
Stevenson formally announced his retirement in December 2016, three-and-a-half years after his final NBA game with the Hawks.
Stevenson later joined Ice Cube's basketball league, Big 3, where he was a co-captain of the Ball Hogs.
Peja Stojakovic
Dallas was Stojakovic's final NBA team. He announced his retirement in December 2011.
In August 2015, Stojaković was appointed director of player personnel and development for the Sacramento Kings. In May 2018, Stojaković was announced as Assistant General Manager, where in this role, he served as General Manager for the Stockton Kings, the Kings' NBA Development League affiliate.
Stojaković stepped down from his position of assistant general manager in August 2020.
He also runs the Peja Stojaković Children's Foundation, which is a charity that is designed to help improve the lives of children in the Balkan countries of Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece.
Brendan Haywood
Haywood played for two more teams after winning a championship in Dallas: Charlotte Bobcats and Cleveland Cavaliers. After retiring from the NBA, Haywood entered the media space and became a college basketball announcer for CBS Sports and a co-host/analyst on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
He also works as an NBA Analyst for NBATV during the playoffs.
Ian Mahinmi
Mahinmi played in the NBA until 2020 and announced his retirement from professional basketball in July 2021.
After his playing career, Mahinmi became a co-owner of NBA Africa and a brand ambassador for the Basketball Africa League.
Corey Brewer
Brewer played in the NBA until 2020, as well, and retired from the NBA in November 2020. At the same time, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that they had hired Brewer as a player development coach. Like Stevenson, Brewer laced up his sneakers again to compete in Big 3. Brewer was the co-captain for Bivouac.
Caron Butler
Butler played in the NBA until 2016 but didn't officially retire from basketball until February 2018.
Butler now serves as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. He just signed a new four-year deal in May to remain on Erik Spoelstra’s staff, ESPN reported.
Brian Cardinal
Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal retired from the NBA in 2012 after the Mavericks were swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nowadays, Cardinal assists the Purdue Athletics Department, his alma mater, and the John Purdue Club in a variety of external relations enterprises and initiatives, according to the school's website.
He also works with the NBA as the Director for International Elite Basketball - Academics and Player Pathway
Rodrigue Beaubois
Rodrigue Beaubois played for the Mavericks from 2009 to 2013, then went to play basketball overseas and has ever since. He still plays professionally to this day, now for the Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes. Beaubois won the Turkish Cup in 2022 and is a two-time EuroLeague champion (2021, 2022).
Dominique Jones
Like Beaubois, Dominique Jones still plays professional basketball overseas. Jones played for the Mavs until 2013 and has been playing in China for numerous teams since 2015.
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