There aren’t many things in life better than a night on the town with some of your closest friends, but sharing that experience with a Maverick has to be one of them.
The first-ever Mavs Ball — A Blue Tie Affair, an event benefiting the Mavs Foundation, brought together guests and players for an evening of entertainment at the Omni Dallas Hotel, including a cocktail reception, dinner, silent and live auctions, a game of “name that tune,” and live music from the Brass-A-Holics.
More than 500 Mavs Foundation supporters joined the entire team and coaching staff at the event, filling 50 tables, 12 to a table, and familiar television voices Mark Followill and Dana Larson emceed. Smith Thompson Home Security, Morgan Stanley, and Coca-Cola partnered with the Foundation to make it all possible.
All together through the auctioning of 88 items, including eight live auction items, generous supporters helped the Mavs Foundation raise more than half a million dollars, funds it will use in the community in the coming year to support local programs across the Metroplex.
“We are so grateful to all of the Mavs fans and benefactors who came out to the Mavs Ball to support the Foundation,” Mavericks Chief Operating Officer Floyd Jahner said. “The night was incredible, from the Brass-A-Holics, and the players participating in the Blues Battle Game, to the live auction and the excitement it brought to the evening. We are thrilled with the outcome. Now we just have to top it next year!”
Grant recipients for the 2015-16 year were also recognized and celebrated at the event and are as follows: Café Momentum, Dallas Holocaust Museum, Focus on Teens, Kids U, Metrocrest Services, Parker’s Park Project, and Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.
Some of the many cool items up for auction included things you would expect, such as autographed basketballs and signed photos of the players. But there were also some pretty unexpectedly awesome items, including autographed blue ties, a Jordan Spieth-signed putting green flag from the Master’s, a birthday party with the Mavs ManiAACs, and a custom Mavs court to fit any size yard. A couple different (and incredible) portraits of Dirk Nowitzki were also up for auction, including one in the shape and size of a basket backboard.
Live auction items included the chance to take a photo with the entire 2015-16 team, sit next to Mavs proprietor Mark Cuban for a game, be the ball boy/girl at Dirk Nowitzki’s Heroes Celebrity All-Star game, attend a basketball clinc with Rick Carlisle and then sleep over in the Mavs locker room, fly out to L.A. for a day of filming on the set of “Shark Tank,” shoot around with Nowitzki and Spieth, and attend dinner and enjoy Patrón cocktails with Wesley Matthews.
To date, the Foundation has granted more than $3.5 million to nonprofit organizations serving women, children, and families in need and created Reading and Learning Centers and basketball courts across the North Texas community.
The Foundation also recently launched the 50/50 Raffle last month, giving Mavs fans at every home game the chance to purchase raffle tickets with half the pot going to the winner and the other half to the Mavs Foundation. In four games, the pots have added up to more than $11,000, meaning the Mavs Foundation pocketed over $5,500 from generous Mavericks fans.
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