The Dallas Mavericks join other NBA teams around the country this February 2022 to celebrate Black History Month and support the ongoing pursuit of racial justice, equality, equity and inclusion in the workplace and community.

This month and going forward, the Mavs will continue to elevate the experiences and perspectives of Black players, coaches, employees, entertainers and fans through various activations and community events. We also continue to spotlight a new era of young Black men and women who are trailblazing a path for future generations to follow.

Danté Jamaal Harpe is enjoying his second NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks’ D-Town Crew. He is excelling both on and off the court. The Texas Tech grad earned his Master of Arts degree in General Psychology last spring from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His mom served in the Army for two decades and he pulls inspiration from her remarkable story (more on that later). Fans can find Harpe entertaining MFFLs on game nights, serving in the community and teaching hip hop classes all throughout North Texas.

Mavs.com caught up with Harpe to share more about his life…

Danté Jamaal Harpe
Hometown: Killeen, TX
NBA Season: Veteran, 2nd Season 

Background: Graduated from Texas Tech University in the spring of 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and minors in Kinesiology and Psychology. Received Master of Arts degree in General Psychology (with a concentration of Child & Adolescent Psychology) from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Career: Teaches hip hop classes and direct competition teams throughout North Texas. He’s also a member of Rev Crew, a Christian-based Hip Hop Team that tours with the Dance Revolution Dance Convention; the group provides worship experiences, a Broadway-style production, and various genres of dance classes.

MAVS.COM Hi Danté! Before we talk about Black History Month, can you share more about your life?

HARPE: My mom was a single parent who served in the Army for 20 years and was last stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas, in 2003. I grew up the oldest of two sons, and lived across the U.S. and even Germany, but Killeen instantly became home. Exposure to an absentee father proved to be troubling, but my brother and I have been blessed with a mom who bravely took on both roles of nurturing and providing, while serving our country and returning home from multiple deployments. I also have to thank Mrs. Dee (our guardian) and her family who took us in and supported my mom and had a huge influence on our upbringing.

MAVS.COM: Who is a person in your life that has inspired you the most? Who gets your Lifetime Achievement Award and why did they have such a profound impact on your life?

HARPE: My mom, Velma L. Carey is my greatest inspiration and would receive my Lifetime Achievement Award. I’ve always felt that my mom has been my hero, my rock, my confidante, my everything. She has endured so much: trauma experienced from multiple tours to Iraq, raising two boys without a male counterpart, taking on parent loans and debt to support us through our educational pursuits, and so much more.

My brother and I may have grown up fatherless, but that void has never been felt. Faith has shown me that I’ve always had a Father in Heaven, and He has empowered my mom to be all that she has been and will be in our lives. My mom is the epitome of love — unconditional love — and I know she would do it all again if she were ever faced with that decision.

MAVS.COM Wow! What a beautiful soul! Thank you for sharing more about your incredible mother! Transitioning to the Mavs, what has been your experience since joining the Crew? When do you come alive and feel the strongest?

HARPE: It’s been a blessing being around and serving with so many beautiful, unique, and inspired individuals since joining the Crew. The diversity is evident, and I believe it brings us together and enables us to regard this team as more than a crew but as a family. I think the greatest satisfaction comes from serving the community while representing the Mavericks. Appearances have afforded me the opportunity to interact with kids and their families in the community by giving back. As far as coming alive and feeling the strongest, that certainly comes by way of cheering on the team at games, feeling the energy from the fans, and giving that back by stepping on the court to perform.

MAVS.COM: I hear you grew up with a basketball in your hand. Is it surreal to make it to the NBA, just in a different way than you expected? How did you become a dancer?

HARPE:  The pathway I’ve seen over my lifespan is never a straight or narrow one. It’s winding and leads you in directions you wouldn’t anticipate. Since I was five years old, you couldn’t find me without a basketball in my hand. Basketball was and still is my first love, but as I reached the college ranks, I knew that playing professionally wasn’t in the cards for me.

My best friend from college and I got close to a couple members of the hip hop dance team at Tech who encouraged us to try out. Dance was just a social thing and never a consideration until meeting them and I don’t know that I’d be where I am today had I not.

The summer of 2013 I became invested in dance, watching, learning, and training from various YouTube choreographers/dancers and decided to try out for Dancers with Soul later that fall. I made the team, grew my passion for dance, and started teaching the team and at studios locally in Lubbock.

Upon graduation, I moved back home and continued to train and teach hip hop before moving to Dallas in 2018. I took various classes at different studios, joined The Neighborhood to compete and perform, and started teaching throughout the area.

Then in 2021, during the first-round matchup against the Clippers, I joined the D-Town Crew. I instantly said yes, and thus began my career of entertaining for the Mavs! I always envisioned being on an NBA court, but I never thought it would be as a dancer for a professional team.

God is good and funny at the same time.

MAVS.COM: Each February, the Dallas Mavericks and NBA community come together to celebrate Black History Month and the incredible leaders in the game like you. What does Black History mean to you?

HARPE: I believe that Black History is a great testimony of faith. The strife that has been overcome — and still being overcome — can only be possible by believing for better days ahead. Faith is trusting in the things we cannot yet see, and I can’t help but to think that Black History has so many great examples of that faith being exercised. Furthermore, success is measured by the legacy we leave for others. Where I’m at today, and the treasures I get to enjoy, is without a doubt a product of the work, suffering, sacrifices, and efforts made by the people that came before me and my generation.

MAVS.COM: If there is a young person reading this who aspires to follow your footsteps, what’s your advice for them?

HARPE:
 I would advise to stay resilient and trust that the work you put in in the dark will come out to the light. I say stay resilient because anything negative that you encounter along the journey is not meant to destroy you, but rather to better you, strengthen you, and empower you.

The mindset you have when faced with an obstacle determines whether it tackles you or if you tackle it. Trust the work you put in, even when you don’t feel like it and when nobody’s watching. If you don’t feel like you’re progressing or in the place where you’re supposed to be, but you’re doing the work, know that you are progressing. The day will come where you realize you’re exactly in the place you’ve been working to get to. Remain determined; remain diligent; remain distinguished.

MAVS.COM:  What has been your experience as a Black athlete or performer in the dance industry? What can we do better to encourage a new generation of young Black boys and girls to pursue their dreams in this industry?

HARPE: There certainly is a case of being a minority as a black athlete/performer in the dance industry and then, even more so, by being a male in the dance world. But – it’s also an opportunity that’s presented.

The opportunity is that of being different and offering something different. You get to contribute to the dance world by being a trailblazer and changing the narrative to one that doesn’t depict Black dancers as a minority in the industry. It’s easy to be discouraged and harder to look at the discouragement and rise above it, but there’s beauty in strength and fortitude.

MAVS.COM: And finally, a little self-reflecting here, but what do you consider to be your gift to the world and what is your proudest moment?

HARPE: I believe that my purpose on this earth is to lead by example and to be a trailblazer. You begin to realize your purpose when you reflect on positions and places you’ve been in and at throughout your life. I’ve been blessed with the gift of the arts — like dance, drawing, music. It’s all to give Him glory — and bring joy to the lives of others.

I strive to be unique and offer something different and break away from the norm, which happens to make me unique and different. I’m determined and motivated and have an appetite for learning. I also have a desire to serve and to be a light wherever I’m called to.

I believe my proudest moment in life was achieved by graduating from TCSPP. I began my master’s program in 2017 right after graduating from Texas Tech, and what should’ve been a two-year journey turned into four (as I didn’t graduate until 2021). I withdrew from the school on three separate occasions, questioning if it was meant for me to finish and if I even had the desire to complete my studies.

However, I felt convicted to finish my schooling and to do so willingly, by reflecting on this question: what example or legacy do I want to set for my kids? I wanted to demonstrate that you finish what you started and endure the long seasons. Graduating became less about me and more about the standard I wanted to set for my future kids and the generations to follow.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Danté! We’re extremely inspired by your story and thank you for representing the Dallas Mavericks with the D-Town Crew!

 

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