Lately, there have been many Dallas Mavericks headlines, such as Kyrie Irving reportedly shooting on a chain net at the Mavericks’ practice facility in recent days. It’s still being determined how long the reported chain net has been at the facility, but Irving, 32, added his taste in outdoor hoops for perhaps the swishing sound that a chain net creates.
As the Mavericks look to return to the NBA Finals, there’s a little-known topic to know about. The Mavericks once jump-started Tim Legler’s NBA career. Legler, 57, is widely known as an ESPN basketball analyst and a SiriusXM NBA Radio analyst and co-host. It is important to note that he had an 11-year NBA career as a shooting guard from 1988 to 1999. Read on for the Mavericks’ connection with Legler.
Tim Legler’s Recent Podcast Appearance
Did you know ESPN’s Tim Legler played in the NBA for 11 years, including a one-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks from 1993 to 1994? If not, it’s okay, as this article deeply dives into Legler’s stint with the Mavericks a little over 30 years ago.
Legler can be a man of many words, but his recent podcast appearance spoke volumes. His playing days seemed journeyman-like but shaped his future as a sports analyst, especially the Mavericks. He credited the Mavericks, including then-Interim Coach Garfield Heard and Assistant Coach Brad Davis, for his big break into an NBA career.
Legler’s Comments
SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball reported that Legler said on “The Stein Line” podcast, “For a guy who at that point who had been on multiple 10-day contracts, played in the CBA, bouncing around, and I remember. I had a huge game in the CBA — upper 40s, close to a 50-point game — and I get a phone call after the game that I’m getting picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, and I knew. I studied the league. I knew what kind of year they were having.
“What was interesting about it was they had fired [former head coach] Richie Adubato that year. Garfield Heard was the interim coach. His assistant was Brad Davis. I flew to meet the team [on a road swing] and they called me up to the hotel suite to have a conversation, and I haven’t even met the team at this point — none of the players.”
“And I remember, they said something to me that in a lot of ways unlocked something in me and transformed the rest of my career. They said, ‘Listen we’re not very good. We don’t have any shooting. We know you’ve been in and out of the league and bouncing around, but we don’t think you’ve ever been given that opportunity to just play through mistakes and play through missed shots and not worry about being on a 10-day and not worry about being pulled from a game if you make a mistake. Because we think you have the talent, and now we’re going to give you the opportunity.”
Legler Once Played For the Dallas Mavericks
Tim Legler’s one-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks was short-lived, but a stepping stone for his NBA career and his post-NBA career. Legler played two one-year stints with the Golden State Warriors in 1995 and 1999, along with a four-year tenure with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) from 1995 to 1999.
Legler’s big break was with the Mavericks, with whom he scored an average of 9.6 points in 20 minutes per game in the 1993-94 NBA season. Legler helped the Mavericks’ franchise avoid a potentially worst single-season win-loss record by using stronger play to race to 11 wins in the final six weeks of the 1993-94 season.
Mavericks Changed Legler
The Dallas Mavericks changed Tim Legler in his playing days. Legler resembled a journeyman before his one-year stint with the Mavericks. He became a part of the Mavericks’ rotation in the final 30 games of the 1992-93 NBA season and then became an arguably lethal three-point shooter circa 1993.
After retiring from the NBA, Legler began working for ESPN in 2000. He eventually became one of the few ESPN analysts who analyzed the games. So, even though his stint in Dallas was rather forgettable, he developed as a professional basketball player while being a bright light for a catastrophic Mavericks team back in the day.
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