3 former Dallas Mavericks make ESPN list of best players 41-74

The Dallas Mavericks had three former players represented in ESPN’s ranking of the best NBA players when numbers 41 to 74 were released on May 11.

Dallas Mavericks fans are filling their basketball needs with watching their 2011 championship run, debates, and The Last Dance right now. Fox Sports Southwest’s airing of all 16 wins from that playoffs wraps up on Wednesday. The final two episodes of the Michael Jordan documentary air on Sunday. Soon, all they will be left with is debates.

To fuel it, ESPN is releasing the 74 best players in NBA history as voted by their expert panel this week. Numbers 74 to 41 dropped on Monday.

Three former Mavericks made that first chunk on the list. None of them played their prime seasons in Dallas, though. Let us take a look at the three former Mavs and their rankings.

67. Alex English

Alex English is a Hall of Fame forward. He made eight consecutive All-Star teams with the Denver Nuggets. He began his NBA career in 1976 but did not join the Mavericks until 1990. His production tailed off in what would be the final season of English’s legendary career. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.2 rebounds during his lone year in Dallas.

62. Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman also did not join the Dallas Mavericks until his final season. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year only lasted 12 games with the Mavs as a 38-year-old. Read more about his time in Dallas here.

55. Vince Carter

Vince Carter joined the Mavericks just after their 2011 championship. He was an eight-time All-Star and one of the league’s best scorers for a decade. Vinsanity was 35 when he came to Dallas. Carter ushered in the second act of his career by moving to the bench and becoming a steady role player under coach Rick Carlisle. He is set to retire after the 2019-2020 season after 22 years in the NBA.

The Dallas Mavericks figure to be well represented on the remainder of the list. How high will Dirk Nowitzki rank? Do Jason Kidd and Steve Nash crack the top 30? There are plenty of interesting questions that will be answered this week, so stay tuned.