Coming off a Western Conference Finals appearance and with high hopes for the future, the new-look Dallas Mavericks stepped on the stage Monday night to officially usher in the 2022-23 season. Decked out in blue Mavs sweatsuits — sans Christian Wood, who jokingly said he didn’t get the memo — the team shared plenty of laughs and inside jokes at the team’s annual Toast to Tipoff, benefiting the Mavs Foundation.

The band of brothers is officially back — armed with plenty of camaraderie and enthusiasm to get this party started!

This year’s Toast to Tipoff was a special treat for VIP guests who snagged an exclusive seat. The event took place at The Echo Lounge in the Design District and was presented by ShiftKey. 

The Mavs Foundation raised $200,000.

Mavs’ big man JaVale McGee got the loudest applause of the night when the three-time NBA champ announced “all I do is win, win, win no matter what!” (Okay to be fair, he really said it once, but that’s how I heard it in my head).

“I have a different mindset as a three-time NBA champion, one-time Olympic gold medalist,” McGee told the crowd. “I just have a winning mindset. All I want to do is win. That’s all I want to do. I don’t care about anything else. I want to help my team win and do what I can do and bring a championship to Dallas.”

The Mavs have bolstered up the frontcourt with McGee (7-0, 255) and Christian Wood (6-9, 214) to help stabilize the paint. Both guys emphasized the strong Mavs culture and supportive brotherhood on and off the court. Wood said the team has adopted two keywords this year: accountability and resilience.

“That’s what we stand by, that’s what these guys stand by, and we’re going to live by that all season,” Wood shared. He said Dallas has embraced him with open arms.

“I love Dallas so far,” Wood said. “I’ve even been to three restaurants and ate free at all three of them, so thank you. Everyone has treated me so well.”

Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall and ShiftKey CEO Tom Ellis jumpstarted the Toast to Tipoff, and Dallas Mavs governor Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison later took the stage with head coach Jason Kidd.

A lot has changed in one year. This time last season, a quieter Harrison and Kidd spoke to the audience in a reserved tone. Now they are confident and assured, but in a humble kind of way. They can feel the excitement of the city.

“My whole life was just about collecting talent,” Harrison said. “And now it’s about making talent work together.”

The Mavs have depth and weapons at both ends of the court to create a balanced attack.

“Last year, we talked about doing something the Mavs haven’t done in a while,” said Kidd, “and that was playing defense. It all started with just communication, just being able to talk to one another. It was a team effort. Those guys played for one another, and that was the beautiful thing about last year’s team. They really cared about one another.”

Cuban said the NBA has gotten “a lot better,” so it will be a grind all season long. He doesn’t believe there will be one runaway team.

So how does the franchise build and go from here?

“We went through a learning curve last year,” Cuban said. “This year, that’s behind us. Rather than go through a learning process, it’s more, how do we get better? How do we improve on what we did, and how do we incorporate the new guys and educate and mentor them?”

Each table at the Mavs Tipoff got to ask a question on a card, and the Mavs were eager to share some personal insight into their lives.

Spencer Dinwiddie talked about his love for cars, a passion he shares with his father. No one else in his family played basketball. His mom has a Ph.D. in education, and his dad is a businessman. Dinwiddie said family is everything to him.

“They all supported me,” Dinwiddie said, “but they couldn’t really share the passion in the same way because they had no prior experience. But my dad loves cars. He’s super handy and a great example of a father. I probably got my love for cars from him.”

Dorian Finney-Smith told stories about his beloved Stevie, the most famous horse in Dallas, and Reggie Bullock reflected on having his own island. And Luka Doncic talked sneakers and joyfully proclaimed, “the Luka 1s are one of the best shoes to ever happen!” He also pointed out Dinwiddie’s lack of style “if you can see, his shoes are not very nice,” Doncic joked.

During the Toast to Tipoff, all the players rotated for their question portion, and longtime Mavs’ voices, Chuck Cooperstein and Mark Followill, hosted the event on stage. Mavs PA announcer Sean Heath roamed through the crowd with a mic in hand so that every table got a question answered.

Guests snacked on tasty appetizers and sipped cocktails in a sea of fluorescent blue lights. All the guests received a present wrapped with a giant blue bow. Each player mingled with attendees and stopped to take photos and sign autographs.

It was a small and intimate affair by design, giving those who attended a chance to spend time with some of the brightest stars in the NBA.

Later, as he reflected, Coach Kidd noted how every part of the journey is essential.

“As a player, I failed many times, and as a coach, I have failed,” Kidd said. “But to go back and look at those mistakes and learn from those mistakes is important.”

Monday night’s event was uplifting and hopeful, a perfect celebration to jumpstart a new season and give thanks to a remarkable city. Money raised will benefit the Mavs Foundation and the children, women and families it supports.

Next stop: the big show. 

And it all begins Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Story: Tamara Jolee, Dallas Mavs

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