Mavericks Make Classy Gesture Welcoming Kevin McHale Back to the Sideline

Kevin McHale returned to the sidelines with the Houston Rockets as they hosted the Dallas Mavericks, and while it seemed no fanfare nor official recognition of his return was planned, the Mavericks made quite a classy move nonetheless.

McHale had been away from the team for most of the first month of the season to be with his daughter, Sasha, who passed on November 24th due to complications from lupus.

It was an emotional time for McHale, as it was his first game back after the death of his daughter, but the opposing team showed their concern and appreciation for the NBA legend before the game.

In a show of respect, every member of the Mavericks came over one-by-one to give McHale a hug and share a word with the Mavs coach; a gesture that was both sincere and impressive by today's standards.

It really put an exclamation point on what has been an incredible outpouring of support for McHale and his family in the past month.

There have been countless broadcasts and interviews with other coaches who have sent their love and support to McHale, despite being historically wired to be ultra competitive with each other.

Not only is it a great thing to see between opponents, it's a great thing to see between human beings—that's what there is to take away from this all.

It's a legitimate rivalry between intrastate teams, with little love lost between the two, but there's still the undeniable human element that we sometimes forget about. 

Good on ya' Mavericks.