{"id":565359,"date":"2026-01-28T02:37:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/565359\/"},"modified":"2026-01-28T02:37:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T02:37:17","slug":"mavericks-are-honoring-icons-norm-sonju-mark-aguirre-with-weeklong-embrace-why-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/565359\/","title":{"rendered":"Mavericks are honoring icons Norm Sonju, Mark Aguirre with weeklong embrace. Why now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Both are Mavericks<\/a> trailblazers. Both were born in Chicago, albeit 21 years apart. Both within the past year have endured strokes.<\/p>\n

But of their commonalities, the most striking is the profound gratitude in their voices.<\/p>\n

Mavericks co-founder Norm Sonju<\/a> and the franchise\u2019s first NBA All-Star, Mark Aguirre,<\/a> realize many fans know little about the team\u2019s early 1980s infancy, so they were stunned when third-year Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont decided to honor them.<\/p>\n

Aguirre, 66, will have his No. 24 jersey retired <\/a>at halftime of Thursday night\u2019s game against Charlotte, becoming the fifth Maverick to be so honored. <\/p>\n

Mavericks<\/p>\n

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\u201cAfter so long, it\u2019s kind of shocking,\u201d Aguirre told The Dallas Morning News, his usual booming voice softening to near-whisper. Four times during the 25-minute interview he broke into mid-sentence sobs.<\/p>\n

Sonju, 87, will be honored during Wednesday night\u2019s game against Minnesota. In a phone interview last week from his Pennsylvania home, he kept expressing disbelief that Dumont was sending a private plane to bring him and 13 family members to Dallas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank that man, who I\u2019ve not met,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think he even knows me. I\u2019m so moved by his kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is this happening now, 45 years and nine months after the Mavericks\u2019 May 1, 1980, founding? And 36 years and 11 months after the franchise traded Aguirre to Detroit? And 29 years and eight months after Sonju retired as president and general manager?<\/p>\n

The \u201cwhy now\u201d can be traced to Dumont\u2019s several-hour job interview of Rick Welts<\/a> in winter 2024, before Welts formally decided to apply to replace the retiring Cynt Marshall as Mavericks president and CEO.<\/a><\/p>\n

Among other reasons Dumont and Welts quickly found common ground is both view running a sports franchise as a stewardship. Welts described his 1982 hiring as the NBA\u2019s 35th employee. Despite being founded in 1946, the league had no marketing department.<\/p>\n

Then-NBA executive vice president David Stern told Welts the league had done a poor job of embracing its roots, and he made doing so one of Welts\u2019 core responsibilities, especially after Stern rose to commissioner in 1984.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a responsibility to preserve, publicize and celebrate the history of why the Mavericks are here and why people care about them now,\u201d Welts said. \u201cBecause had none of that happened, I wouldn\u2019t have a job.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis week is going to be great because I think we\u2019re taking care of some unfinished business with both Norm and Mark that Patrick was all-in on from day one. He said, \u2018These things are important. Whatever it takes, let\u2019s get it done.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

What fans mostly will see Wednesday night are the Sonju bobbleheads that will be given to the first 5,000 people entering American Airlines Center. <\/a>More than likely, Sonju will be led to center court and heartfelt words of thanks being shared by Welts or Dumont or both.<\/p>\n

What fans might not see is a weeklong franchise embrace of not only Sonju, but also wife Carole; their grown children Lynne, Scott and David; and 10 grandchildren; 19 family members in all, flown in from Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, Tennessee and Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized through all of this,\u201d Lynne texted, \u201cthat six of my parents\u2019 grandchildren, including my daughter, have never been to a Mavericks game. So this week will be pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks 1981 No. 1 overall pick Mark Aguirre is overcome with emotion as he speaks during the Dallas Mavericks draft watch party at the American Airlines Center, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Dallas. The Mavericks selected Duke\u2019s Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n

El\u00edas Valverde II \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

\u2018Long time coming\u2019 for Aguirre<\/p>\n

There is symmetry in Norm Sonju also taking part in Aguirre\u2019s Thursday night ceremony. Sonju, after all, was the GM who selected Aguirre out of DePaul as the No. 1 overall pick of the 1981 draft,<\/a> ahead of No. 2 selection and fellow Chicagoan Isiah Thomas by Detroit.<\/p>\n

Thomas, too, is scheduled to attend and watch close friend Aguirre\u2019s No. 24 banner rise to the rafters, completing a starting five alongside the banners of Brad Davis (No. 15), Rolando Blackman (No. 22), Derek Harper (No. 12) and Dirk Nowitzki (No. 41).<\/p>\n

Of equal or perhaps greater significant importance to Aguirre will be the presence of another quintette: His daughters, who range in ages from 26 to 35. Waves of emotion have consumed Aguirre since Oct. 22, when Dumont personally delivered the news before that night\u2019s season opener against San Antonio.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt comes and goes,\u201d Aguirre said. \u201cSo much time has passed. A lot of things happen in your life. My daughters grew up here and went through it all. So many things come back in your head, like, \u2018Daddy, how come your jersey is not retired?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

After Thursday, there will be little if any need to wonder why it took so long to retire the number of the player who ranks third among Mavericks in points (13,930), third in scoring average (24.6) and was the first Maverick selected for an All-Star game (1984).<\/p>\n

For years, 1980s teammates Blackman and Harper have been among Aguirre\u2019s more vocal advocates. So it was fitting that the Mavericks invited 2000 jersey retiree Blackman and 2018 jersey retiree Harper to hear Dumont give Aguirre the news.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was definitely shocked and surprised,\u201d Harper said. \u201cI think he\u2019s really excited that this has finally happened. Because you can walk around and say, \u2018Oh, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought the same thing before my jersey was retired. But then when it happens, it\u2019s a great feeling to know that your jersey will hang in the rafters forever. Long time coming, but this is well deserved for Mark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welts said he spoke about Aguirre to Mavericks basketball staff members, as well as many longtime members of the organization, including Mark Cuban.<\/p>\n

Though there was acrimony from both sides leading to and after Aguirre\u2019s 1989 trade to Detroit (where he won NBA titles in 1989 and 1990), no one could provide a compelling reason his jersey shouldn\u2019t be retired.<\/p>\n

His statistics, individual accomplishments and his role in transforming the Mavericks from 1980 expansion franchise to the Western Conference elite speak for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly there was a point in time when Mark and the franchise weren\u2019t feeling great about each other, but it never got to closure, right?\u201d Welts said. \u201cAnd talking to Patrick, this was an opportunity to be a steward of the franchise and honor people that created this.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark\u2019s name just kept coming to the top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the Mavericks won last May\u2019s draft lottery and the ability to select Cooper Flagg<\/a>, it presented an organic opportunity to welcome back the franchise\u2019s only other No. 1 pick, as a draft night honoree in American Airlines Center.<\/p>\n

Three days later, an all-smiles Aguirre and about a dozen other former Mavericks were feted as celebrity guests at Flagg\u2019s first Dallas news conference.<\/p>\n

Does Aguirre feel a sense of closure now?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think it opened it up, really,\u201d he said. \u201cTo the fact that I am a Maverick.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2018Without Norm, there\u2019s no Mavs\u2019<\/p>\n

Much of this season, the 46th in Mavericks history, has been spent commemorating the franchise\u2019s first 45 years with Hardwood Classic<\/a> nights.<\/p>\n

Fans received Blackman bobbleheads Jan. 12. Ahead are bobblehead giveaway nights for Davis (March 18) and Harper (April 3), and the April 12 season finale against Chicago will feature bobbleheads of Reunion Arena, the Mavericks\u2019 home from 1980 to 2001.<\/p>\n

This week, though, is the most momentous. Along with the Sonju and Aguirre celebratory games, a Legacy Luncheon was scheduled for Tuesday, but due to the icy conditions, it was postponed until Saturday.<\/p>\n

Lunch attendees probably will be shown at least part of another poignant example of the franchise celebrating its roots.<\/p>\n

Last summer, Welts traveled with several Mavericks staff members, including a photographer and videographer, to spend three days with Sonju in Speculator, N.Y. (population 406).<\/p>\n

Specifically they gathered at CAMP-of-the-WOODS, a Christian-based resort Sonju ran for 22 years, without salary. The Mavericks\u2019 trip got delayed after Sonju suffered a pair of strokes, but he eventually sat with Welts about the birth and early years of the Mavericks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks co-founder Norm Sonju (left) chats with Mavericks CEO Rick Welts at the Camp-of-the-Woods basketball court in Speculator, N.Y., during Welts’ visit in September 2025.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Rick Welts<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\"FILE<\/p>\n

And certainly no one knows the topic more intimately than Sonju, who co-founded the franchise with majority owner Donald Carter \u2013 and for 10 months in 1979 and early 1980 carried the financial burden and stress when Carter and other investors dropped out of Dallas\u2019 expansion quest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so grateful that Rick himself came,\u201d Sonju said. \u201cI was so worried that I didn\u2019t make sense in my interview, but everyone swears I was lucid and said things that made sense. So I thank the Lord for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonju is selling himself short. The story of the Mavericks\u2019 birth has often been written, including by The News<\/a>, but it\u2019s riveting to hear it in Sonju\u2019s words in the edited down 32-minute conversation.<\/p>\n

Sonju had been president and GM of the Buffalo Braves from 1976 to 1978. After that franchise moved to San Diego, he identified Dallas as the NBA\u2019s most promising new frontier, so he moved himself and his young family here.<\/p>\n

What he did not anticipate was the economy crashing; 21% interest rates; the NBA at the last minute telling Dallas the expansion fee would rise from $8 million to $12 million; and that instead of getting the No. 1 overall pick in 1980 it would pick 11th. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just focused on what had to be done,\u201d Sonju told Welts, adding that he had to produce five circulars for prospective investors, each costing $30,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money out of pocket when you don\u2019t know you\u2019re going to get the franchise,\u201d Sonju said. My wife was such a saint, still is, but she made it feasible for me to get done. … Not one time in all the years I pursued a franchise did she make me feel I made the wrong decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching the video with The News, Welts becomes visibly emotional. He described the trip and conversations with Sonju \u201cincredibly meaningful\u201d and a labor of love.<\/p>\n

Welts, 73, has a unique perspective when it comes to Sonju. Welts had risen from Seattle SuperSonics ballboy<\/a> to media relations director in the late \u201870s. As an NBA executive, he came to know Sonju well and the Mavericks as a model franchise.<\/p>\n

Welts also expanded All-Star weekend starting in 1984, and the \u201886 event Dallas hosted at Reunion included the first 3-point contest, won by Larry Bird. That All-Star court has resided at CAMP-of-the-WOODS for nearly four decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorm played an outsized role in working with Stern and the belief that if the league had a business operation, it could be additive to all the teams,\u201d Welts told The News. \u201cNorm wasn\u2019t just the \u2018my team, my city guy.\u2019 He had a bigger vision of what the NBA could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is why Sonju became chairman of the NBA marketing committee. He also was on the NBA expansion committee when Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando were awarded expansion franchises.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe organization they built at the Mavericks was just better and different than what NBA team organizations had been before,\u201d Welts said. \u201cAs we were trying to develop this culture of sharing best practices and getting teams to talk to each other and helping teams get better, we just kept sending people to Dallas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/p>\n

Dallas Mavericks co-founder Norm Sonju (right) poses with Mavericks CEO Rick Welts at Camp-of-the-Woods in Speculator, N.Y., during Welts’ visit in September 2025. The court Sonju and Welts are standing on was used to host the 1986 All-Star Game and weekend at Reunion Arena.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Rick Welts<\/p>\n

So when fans get their Sonju bobblehead Wednesday night and see him get introduced and listen to the tributes, know that there was deep appreciation and attention to detail behind making the night happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think his story is well enough known here,\u201d Welts said. \u201cBecause without Norm, there\u2019s no Mavs. The hope is that some people who knew him can get reacquainted. And some people who never knew him can learn how much he contributed to the team that represents the city today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same goes for Aguirre and Thursday night\u2019s celebration. If you don\u2019t know, Google his YouTube highlights. Better yet, come to American Airlines Center or watch on TV the next two nights as the franchise properly celebrates two trailblazers.<\/p>\n

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Both are Mavericks trailblazers. Both were born in Chicago, albeit 21 years apart. Both within the past year…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3793],"tags":[6071,1297,7,686,149,4057,166,6,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-565359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-mavericks","8":"tag-american-airlines-center","9":"tag-article","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-mavericks","13":"tag-dallasmavericks","14":"tag-mavericks","15":"tag-nba","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115970404994103568","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}