Here are five things to know about one of the newest Mavericks.
1. The basics
Hometown: London, England
Height/weight: 6-8, 215 pounds
2. The pick
Dallas originally acquired the No. 48 pick at last season’s trade deadline, as part of the nine-player, three-team trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards.
3. Honest assessment
“My team, I’m proud of how far we came,” Lawal told Hokies reporters after Virginia Tech finished 12th in the ACC last season. “What did they have us in the preseason? Maybe 14th or 15th? They thought we were going to be ass. I mean, we were still ass, but, you know, we weren’t that bad.”
4. Late start
According to his NBA.com draft profile, Lawal didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 16 years old. He grew up in London and eventually starred at the City of London Academy before crossing the pond and bringing his hoop talents to the States.
5. Ties to Cooper Flagg
But the two share a tie not only with Maine high school basketball — they also squared off during the 2024-25 NCAA season when Virginia Tech played Duke. And Lawal played pretty darn well! He went 7-of-9 from the field to lead his team with 19 points.
Alas: The future No. 1 overall pick was on his game that night as well, scoring a game-high 24 points for the Blue Devils and leading Duke to a 23-point win over Lawal’s Hokies.
Good thing he’s on your side now, Tobi.