Dallas Mavericks: Who Is the All Time Face of the Franchise?

As one of the more consistently winning NBA franchises the league has seen, the Dallas Mavericks have certainly had some great players come and go. Dating back to the franchise's conception in 1980, the Mavericks have had some of the NBA's best talent come through.

With that being said, which player has had what it takes to be called the face-of-the-franchise?

The debate rages on. The following are a few candidates for the title "face of the Dallas Mavericks":

Mark Aguirre

A stellar athlete and possibly the best small forward the Mavericks have ever had, Aguirre was a key figure in the playoff teams Dallas fielded in the 1980s. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1981 draft by Dallas, and the pick surely paid off for the young franchise. 

Aguirre averaged 18.7 points per game during his rookie season, and never took his foot off the gas pedal. He averaged 24.1 points per game in nine seasons with the Mavericks including the 1983-84 campaign when he scored 29.5 points per game, a feat Dirk Nowitzki hasn't come close to accomplishing.

He never made it past the Western Conference finals with the Mavericks, but went on to join the Detroit Pistons during their "Bad Boys" era and won two championships in 1989 and 1990.

He was more of a role player on the Pistons, and never was able to match his level of play that he showed in Dallas.

Rolando Blackman

One of only two Mavericks who have had their jersey number raised to the rafters (the other being Brad Davis, No. 15), Blackman was the key piece in a very good Mavericks team during the 1980s.

He averaged 19.2 points per game under coach Dick Motta, as the Mavericks were always contending in the Western Conference. They made it as far as the Western Conference finals in 1988, but could never get past those pesky Los Angeles Lakers. 

Along with Mark Aguirre, Derek Harper and Sam Perkins, the Mavericks were a very competitive team during this time.

Shawn Bradley

Good one right? 

The laughable (yet at the same time lovable) Bradley makes the list simply because he was somewhat of a phenomenon during his time in Dallas.

Standing at 7'6", Bradley is the tallest player to ever play for the franchise, and had respectable numbers during his nine years with the club, averaging 7.3 points per game and 5.9 rebounds, while spending most of his time coming off the bench during Don Nelson's tenure as head coach.

Most Mavs fans cringe at the sight of Bradley possibly being a face of their franchise, but hey, who else on this list appeared in Space Jam?

Michael Finley

Drafted by the Suns in 1995, Michael Finley was actually shipped to Dallas for current Mavs great Jason Kidd in 1996. Finley experienced some dark times during his early days in a Mavericks uniform, but was consistently the best scoring option until a certain German guy came along.

Along with Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki, Finley was an integral part in the Mavericks' revival in the late '90s and early '00s.

He averaged 19.5 points per game during his time with the Mavs, and helped lead them to many consecutive playoff appearances. 

Finley left Dallas for the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, making it a very sad goodbye in the eyes of Mavericks fans everywhere.

The real salt in the wound was when he won a championship with the Spurs in 2007 (much like Mark Aguirre did with the Pistons), something he was never able to do with the Mavericks.

Jason Kidd

Brad Davis and Steve Nash could be classified on this list as the best Mavs point guard ever, but in my opinion the title has to go to Jason Kidd.

Kidd started his career in Dallas back in 1994, and will most likely see it come to an end soon, at the same place it all began.

Despite talks about being past his prime amidst his return to the Mavericks in 2008, Kidd did something he wasn't able to do with any other team—win an NBA championship. 

He's No. 2 on the NBA all time steals and assists lists, and is one of the best rebounding guards the league has ever seen.

Kidd is one of the best point guards to have graced the sport, and there are simply not enough good things to say about such a decorated career as his.

Dirk Nowitzki

The big German has done it all during his time in Dallas.

Since joining the team in 1998, Nowitzki has made his presence felt on one team for a longer period of time than any current NBA player has for their franchise aside from Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

Since the 2000-2001 season, Nowitzki has guided the Mavericks to 12 straight 50-win seasons (and counting), not to mention winning an MVP award along the way in 2006-2007. 

Critics were quick to contest that he didn't have a clutch instinct in him throughout most of his career, but Nowitzki was able to get the monkey off his back and win an NBA championship in 2011. 

Overall, he has averaged 22+ points per game during his career and is the all-time leading scorer in Mavericks history. 

The Face of the Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

You probably already knew the answer to this one, but Nowitzki has been the face of the Mavericks from the day he stepped foot in Reunion Arena.

The all-time leading scorer in franchise history, Nowitzki is the clear cut choice—a title that he should reign supreme over for many years to come.