11 Mavericks cult heroes everyone else should have loved

9. Yogi Ferrell

Ferrell went undrafted in 2016 before signing with the Brooklyn Nets. The six-foot point guard was waived in October only to re-sign one month later. He was sent back and forth to the G League over the next month before being waived again on Dec. 8. Over 30 days went by before another NBA opportunity came along.

The Mavericks were decimated by injuries in the 2016-17 season. Deron Williams and J.J. Barea were both out, so Dallas signed Pierre Jackson to a ten-day contract only for him to strain his hamstring. They needed a healthy point guard, and Ferrell was playing well for the Long Island Nets in the G League.

YogiMania was quickly born (subscription required). The Mavs won their first three games with Ferrell, and he exploded in the fourth contest for 32 points on 11 of 17 shooting with nine 3-pointers made. It was a fourth straight victory, and this one earned him the YogiMania moniker and a multi-year contract.

Yogi Ferrell averaged 10.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 28.2 minutes per game over 118 contests with the Mavs. He played in all 82 games the following season and remained a fan favorite, even as Dallas missed the playoffs for the second straight year. The Kings signed Ferrell out from under the Mavericks in 2017, and his career quickly fizzled.

It was not quite Linsanity, but YogiMania will always have a special place in the hearts of MFFLs.