The man responsible for creating the Dallas Mavericks, thus bringing NBA Basketball to North Texas, has died, Don Carter founded the Dallas Mavericks in 1980 as a expansion team in the NBA. when he created the NBA team, he paid a $12 Million dollar fee to allow the NBA to create a new NBA Team in North Texas, during the height of the Texas oil boom in the 70s & 80s. he also paid $27 Million dollars to built the home of the Mavericks and later the Dallas Stars, Reunion Arena (which became outdated by the late 90s and replaced by the American Airlines Center in Downtown Dallas in 2001, in time for the 2001-2002 NBA and NHL seasons) which was built and opened in 1980 and closed in 2008 and demolished a year later in 2009.
Carter fully owned the Mavs from it's creation in 1980 to 1996, when he sold primary ownership of the team to Ross Perot Junior, where Carter retain minority ownership stake in the team, which he held, even after Perot sold the team to Mark Cuban.
he also owned a indoor soccer team called the Dallas Sidekicks which also played at Reunion Arena during the 1990s
in 2011, Carter joined the 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks roster and staff in celebrating the Teams first and only NBA championship after the team won the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat after winning Game 6 of that series 105-95 against the Heat. it was the Mavs second ever NBA Finals as they did go to the NBA Finals in 2006 also against the Heat, but unlike 2006 where they couldn't beat the Heat with Dwayne Wade and then heat and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, they beat them with Wade and then Heat star and current Cleveland Cavs player LeBron James and Chris Bosh, a player who called Dallas his home as a team.
Needless to say, despite a bad season this year, and the bad seasons in the 1990s. The Mavs have truly earned their following in Dallas even if they are overshadowed by the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars (and sometimes the Texas Rangers) due to them winning their sports respected championships first (except the Rangers, who have not yet won the World Series, but came close in 2011), The Mavs will be apart of Dallas Sports history, and Don Carter played apart of it.
RIP Don, at least you'll always have 2011.
Story from WFAA out of Dallas:
http://www.wfaa.com/sports/mavericks-founding-owner-don-carter-passes-at-84/519105599
Carter fully owned the Mavs from it's creation in 1980 to 1996, when he sold primary ownership of the team to Ross Perot Junior, where Carter retain minority ownership stake in the team, which he held, even after Perot sold the team to Mark Cuban.
he also owned a indoor soccer team called the Dallas Sidekicks which also played at Reunion Arena during the 1990s
in 2011, Carter joined the 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks roster and staff in celebrating the Teams first and only NBA championship after the team won the 2011 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat after winning Game 6 of that series 105-95 against the Heat. it was the Mavs second ever NBA Finals as they did go to the NBA Finals in 2006 also against the Heat, but unlike 2006 where they couldn't beat the Heat with Dwayne Wade and then heat and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, they beat them with Wade and then Heat star and current Cleveland Cavs player LeBron James and Chris Bosh, a player who called Dallas his home as a team.
Needless to say, despite a bad season this year, and the bad seasons in the 1990s. The Mavs have truly earned their following in Dallas even if they are overshadowed by the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars (and sometimes the Texas Rangers) due to them winning their sports respected championships first (except the Rangers, who have not yet won the World Series, but came close in 2011), The Mavs will be apart of Dallas Sports history, and Don Carter played apart of it.
RIP Don, at least you'll always have 2011.
Story from WFAA out of Dallas:
http://www.wfaa.com/sports/mavericks-founding-owner-don-carter-passes-at-84/519105599