The Dallas Mavericks and longtime general manager and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson are splitting up after more than two decades together.
The Mavericks made the announcement Wednesday afternoon, saying Nelson, 58, and the team had mutually agreed to part ways.
Further details about why the decades-long relationship was coming to an end were not provided.
In the team's statement, owner Mark Cuban thanked Nelson for his 24 years with the team and credited him for much of their success while adding that he'll always be a part of the team's family.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“I just want to thank Donnie for his 24 years of service to this organization,” said Cuban. “Donnie has been instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas. His hard work, creativity, and vision made him a pioneer. Donnie will always be a part of the Mavs family and I wish him all the best.”
The Mavs said Nelson came to Dallas on Jan. 2, 1998, with 12 years of NBA experience and recently completed his 24th season with the franchise.
"During his tenure, the Mavericks have made the playoffs in 17 of the last 21 seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, captured three division titles (2007, 2010, 2021) and won their first World Championship in 2011. Since Nelson joined the franchise the Mavericks have won 58.0% (1,087 of 1,873) of their games with three 60+ win seasons, including a franchise-record 67-win season in 2007, which tied for the sixth-best record in NBA history."
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Nelson, who is a co-owner of the Frisco NBA G League team the Texas Legends with Mark Cuban, Evan Wyly, and Barry Aycock, is credited with bringing both Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, both NBA MVPs, to the Mavericks in the late 90s.
Nelson's is the son of Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson who coached the Mavericks from 1997 - 2005.
It's unclear if the separation is related to a recent report by The Athletic alleging front office strife surrounding the role of director of quantitative research and development Haralabos Voulgaris. In a short, two-word tweet on Monday, Cuban used colorful language to respond to an article calling it "total bull****."
