Mavs players Dāvis Bertāns and Theo Pinson joined the festivities, along with Mavs assistant coach and two-time WNBA Champion Kristi Toliver and new Dallas Wings guard and 2021 WNBA Champion Diamond DeShields.
Numerous executives across the Metroplex also attended the Celebration of Girls, including Dallas Mavs Chief Executive Officer Cynt Marshall. Other panelists included Caren Lock from TIAA (Regional VP/Associate General Counsel) and Dr. Carolee Estelle (UT Southwestern Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine).
The Dallas Mavs launched the GEM program in 2021 to engage, inspire and empower young girls through physical activity as a backdrop to their continued development and success.
“We wanted to develop a safe, emotional and physical environment for young girls to be themselves,” said Kelli Robinson, Mavs Academy senior coordinator and former college basketball player. “We want to ignite this hope and belief inside them where they fully understand their potential.”
Robinson is the pioneer of the GEM program, and she’s spearheaded efforts to shine a spotlight on girls in sports over the last three seasons.
The GEM program is run through the Mavs Academy and is one of the first of its kind in professional sports. GEM hosts all-girls camps and clinics, wellness events and other programs designed to empower young girls and teens.
This week’s GEM Celebration of Girls was the largest such event of its kind in recent Mavs’ history. The franchise will also host the Second Annual Women’s Symposium on Thursday.
North Texas schools that attended the Celebration of Girls this year included Cedar Hill, Dunbar, International Leadership of Texas charter schools, and South Hills.
The day included a rotation of panelists who discussed the role of women in sports and how to empower the next generation.
One of the most inspiring moments occurred when high schoolers took the stage and used their voices. The panelists included Benedite Anuman (Cedar Hill), Raeghan Borman (IL Texas Keller-Saginaw), Ta’Maya Johnson (Dunbar), and Delight Olatunji (South Hills).
“The thing I love about being a student-athlete is you gain powerful connections,” said Anuman, a junior volleyball middle blocker with the Cedar Hill Longhorns. “Most of my friendships are from being an athlete. The sisterhood you get from being in your sport means a lot. Many people come out of college and still talk to the girls or boys they [competed] with. Building relationships and networking now means a lot to me.”
After the high schoolers finished their sessions, the professional players hit the stage to discuss various topics, from raising girls to challenges women still face in athletics today.
DeShields won a WNBA championship in 2021 with the Chicago Sky and recently signed with the Dallas Wings. She is the sister of former Texas Rangers standout Delino DeShields Jr. She talked about the challenges women in sports face even today.
“Finding resources to help elevate me as an athlete has probably been the biggest challenge because things aren’t just given to female athletes all the time,” DeShields said. “We have to work a little harder than the guys to get those resources, but things are improving. As we continue to evolve as women in sports, and the identity and perception of that starts to shift, I am very hopeful. It’s young women like yourself who are going to help contribute to that. We just have to keep it up and keep going.”
If anyone understands what it’s like to overcome odds, it’s Toliver, who holds dual roles in professional sports as a current WNBA player and assistant coach with the Mavs. She is in her second year with Dallas and helped lead the Mavs to the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
Toliver played a crucial role in helping the Sparks capture the 2016 WNBA title and she was a part of the Washington Mystics’ 2019 championship.
She will report to D.C. once the Mavs’ NBA season is complete.
Until then, she’s embracing her current season as coach, announcing on stage how she’s still the best shooter among the guys. Bertāns is one of her position players, so they had some good laughs on stage, and the guys later agreed that she holds her own on the court.
Toliver said her former coach Carol Ross played a pivotal role in helping her develop into a complete player.
“I had a great coach in Carol Ross,” said Toliver, who is better known as KT to the Mavs’ players and staffers. “She told me I had to play both sides of the ball. I couldn’t just be offensive oriented. I had to get down and guard and think, and she taught us some tricky things that helped me. My second biggest challenge was communication, talking, and using my voice.
“I’m pretty introverted; you can’t do that when you’re a point guard. I had to challenge myself to use my voice and always lead by example; that’s always how I was as a little kid. I always played up in AAU and had the older kids around me who empowered me to use my voice. I would just stay in my lane, but as I got older…and started leading teams, that wasn’t an option, so I had to grow in that aspect and area, and now I’m on stage talking to all you fine people.”
All the GEM Celebration of Girls attendees received a nice catered lunch, GEM gift bags and t-shirts.
Between sessions, vendors were on hand to talk to the student-athletes about various topics, from health and wellness to the importance of self-care.
Dallas Mavs entertainers, including the D-Town Crew and ManiAACs, helped get things started with a high-energy pep rally before various executives hit the stage.
From there, the afternoon included a variety of topics that many attendees said made them feel inspired.
The Dallas Mavs will host month-long programming to celebrate Women’s History Month. Other initiatives are included below.
The GEM program is part of the Dallas Mavericks’ dedication to encouraging and empowering girls within the community. For more information on GEM and how to get involved, visit mavs.com/gem.
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