Founded in 1980, the Dallas Mavericks NBA team plays from the American Airlines Center in Dallas and has featured well-known athletes Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, Michael Finley, Jason Terry, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porziņģis on its roster. Since the Mavericks' inaugural 1980–81 season, the Mavericks have won three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010), two conference championships (2006, 2011), and one NBA championship (2011). As of December 2019, the Mavericks have sold out 731 consecutive games since December 15, 2001, the longest sellout streak in North American major league sports.
The Dallas Mavericks are owned by famous investor Mark Cuban and are led by CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, a 36-year veteran of AT&T who responded to Cuban’s personal invitation to lead the organization. Marshall oversees the organization’s work-place practices, community events and business operations, and has developed the Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council, which involves 27 community, business and academic leaders that provide outside advising and consulting. Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle has described Marshall as “one of the great leaders that I’ve ever been around” and “has transformed this organization into one of the great examples of equality and diversity.”
Marshall now leads a 14-person executive team that consists of both 47 percent women and 47 percent people of color, which earned the team the NBA’s Inclusion Leadership Award last year. “We have more diverse ideas and initiatives coming from our team,” Cuban told USA TODAY Sports. “People know they can speak up and bring a perspective we may not have thought of before. That's made us a much more vibrant culture.”
Marshall’s steady hand at the helm has proven beneficial as every team in the league dealt with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dallas Mavericks have turned their home games into an opportunity to thank essential workers and have invited hundreds of vaccinated workers including those in healthcare, first responders, grocery store workers, postal carriers and more to enjoy a Dallas Mavericks game and tributes in their honor on the arena’s digital board. The team has also joined the NBA Together in promoting the importance of considering the COVID-19 vaccine.
In October of 1996, the Mavs Foundation, the 501(c)(3) private foundation affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks was founded, dedicated to building a stronger community by empowering youth, women and families in need. Over the last 24 years, the Mavs Foundation has granted more than $5 million dollars to nonprofit organizations serving women, children and families in need and created Reading and Learning Centers and basketball courts across the North Texas community.
Marshall also co-chaired North Texas Giving Day 2020, representing the Dallas Mavericks and the community in an important region-wide initiative. “This is about the power of giving,” Marshall told WFAA. “It’s a culture. North Texas has a culture of giving and today is the day to step up and do it.”