Mark Aguirre
Encyclopedia
Mark Anthony Aguirre is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

. Aguirre played from 1981–1994 and won two championships with the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 after being sent to Detroit from the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 in exchange for Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley
Adrian Delano Dantley is a retired American basketball player who played 15 seasons in the NBA, including seven as a member of the Utah Jazz. A forward/guard and six-time NBA All-Star, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008...

. Aguirre was a three-time All-Star for Dallas.

College career

While playing at DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

, he averaged 24.5 points over three seasons with the Blue Demons, and in 1981 was The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...

 College Player of the Year. He also was the USBWA College Player of the Year and James Naismith Award
Naismith College Player of the Year
The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of the inventor of basketball , Dr. James Naismith....

 winner in 1980, and a 2 time member of The Sporting News All-America first team. As a freshman in 1978–1979, he led the Demons to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...

, where they lost to Indiana State
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...

, led by future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...

.

The Chicago native played on the same DePaul team as future NBA star Terry Cummings
Terry Cummings
Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for 18 seasons as a power forward and occasional center.-College and NBA years:...

 and found himself in the national spotlight during his three years at the university. He averaged 24.0 points as a freshman in 1978–79 and led the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

. Over the next two seasons he scored 26.8 and 23.0 points per game, respectively, and he was named College Player of the Year in 1980–81. A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic basketball team, Aguirre left school after his junior year. The Dallas Mavericks took him with the first overall pick in the 1981 NBA Draft
1981 NBA Draft
The 1981 NBA Draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

.

Dallas Mavericks

Aguirre averaged 20 points per game over the course of his 13-year NBA career. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 in the 1981 NBA Draft
1981 NBA Draft
The 1981 NBA Draft was the 35th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 9, 1981, before the 1981–82 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft, 23 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...

 and remained with the Mavericks until 1989.

In his first season Aguirre was limited to 51 games and averaged 18.7 points, second on the team to Jay Vincent
Jay Vincent
Jay Fletcher Vincent is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" forward, Vincent played at Michigan State University under coach, Jud Heathcote, where he teamed with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser to win the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...

 (21.4 ppg). The Mavericks improved by 13 games in the win column and finished ahead of the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, but were still twenty games behind division-leading San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....

.

Beginning with the 1982–83 season Aguirre reeled off six straight campaigns in which his average topped 22 points per game. In the first of those seasons he scored 24.4 points per contest, tops on the team and sixth in the league. The Mavericks continued their ascent, bettering their record to 38-44 to finish ahead of Utah and the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

 in the Midwest Division.

During the 1983–84
1983-84 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...

. Aguirre averaged 29.5 points per game, second in the league to Dantley's 30.6 ppg. He finished the season with 2,330 total points.

Although Aguirre was the Mavericks’ main weapon, he was helped by the emergence of Blackman (22.4 ppg) and the contributions of role players Brad Davis
Brad Davis (basketball)
Bradley Ernest Davis is a retired professional basketball player who spent the bulk of his National Basketball Association career with the Dallas Mavericks.-Biography:...

 and Pat Cummings
Pat Cummings
Pat Cummings is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-9½ center with an accurate shooting touch, Cummings spent the most productive stretch of his 12-year career with the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA, averaging better than 12 points and 8 rebounds for...

. Dallas finished second in the Midwest at 43-39, and the team made its first playoff trip, beating the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

 in the opening round before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 in the conference semifinals.

In each of the next two seasons the Mavericks posted identical 44-38 records. In 1984–85 they made a quick exit from the playoffs, bowing to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...

 in the first round; in 1985–86 they defeated Utah and then took the Lakers to six games in the conference semifinals. Aguirre averaged 25.7 and 22.6 points for those seasons.

In 1986–87 and 1987–88 he made the All-Star Team and averaged 25.7 and 25.1 points, respectively, during the regular season. The Mavericks won more than 50 games each year. The 1987–88 edition of the franchise went 53-29, beat Houston and the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

 in the first two rounds of the postseason, then extended the Lakers to seven games before losing in the Western Conference Finals
NBA Conference Finals
The National Basketball Association Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the National Basketball Association , a major professional basketball league in North America. The NBA was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America...

. It was the longest postseason run in the Mavs’ eight-year history.

Both Mavericks single-season scoring records still stand. His 13,930 points as a Maverick rank third in the franchise's history, behind Rolando Blackman
Rolando Blackman
Rolando Antonio Blackman is a retired professional basketball player. He was an All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks...

's 16,643 points and Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association...

's 22,792 (updated June 10, 2011).

Midway through the 1988–89 season Aguirre was traded to the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 for Dantley, who was also one of the league’s top scorers, and a first round draft pick on February 15, 1989.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons repeated as champions in 1989–90. Aguirre came off the bench for Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...

 and averaged 14.1 points, fourth highest on the team. In the playoffs, which culminated with a five-game Finals win over Portland, Aguirre averaged 11.0 points.

Aguirre played three more seasons with the Pistons in an increasingly limited role. In 1993, the Pistons released Aguirre and after he cleared waivers the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 signed him for $150,000 for a partial campaign in 1993–94. Through the 1993–94 season Aguirre had accumulated 18,458 points for a career average of 20.0 points per game. He retired in 1994. As of 2006, he ranks 45th in the all-time scoring list, with 18,458 points.

Personal

Aguirre, whose father was born in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, at one point considered playing for team Mexico at the 1992 Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

.

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 1981–82
| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 51 || 20 || 28.8 || .465 || .352 || .680 || 4.9 || 3.2 || .7 || .4 || 18.7
|-
| align="left" | 1982–83
| align="left" | Dallas
| 81 || 75 || 34.4 || .483 || .211 || .728 || 6.3 || 4.1 || 1.0 || .3 || 24.4
|-
| align="left" | 1983–84
| align="left" | Dallas
| 79 || 79 || 36.7 || .524 || .268 || .749 || 5.9 || 4.5 || 1.0 || .3 || 29.5
|-
| align="left" | 1984–85
| align="left" | Dallas
| 80 || 79 || 33.7 || .506 || .318 || .759 || 6.0 || 3.1 || .8 || .3 || 25.7
|-
| align="left" | 1985–86
| align="left" | Dallas
| 74 || 73 || 33.8 || .503 || .286 || .705 || 6.0 || 4.6 || .8 || .2 || 22.6
|-
| align="left" | 1986–87
| align="left" | Dallas
| 80 || 80 || 33.3 || .495 || .353 || .770 || 5.3 || 3.2 || 1.1 || .4 || 25.7
|-
| align="left" | 1987–88
| align="left" | Dallas
| 77 || 77 || 33.9 || .475 || .302 || .770 || 5.6 || 3.6 || .9 || .7 || 25.1
|-
| align="left" | 1988–89
| align="left" | Dallas
| 44 || 44 || 34.8 || .450 || .293 || .730 || 5.3 || 4.3 || .7 || .7 || 21.7
|-
| align="left" | 1988–89
| align="left" | Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...


| 36 || 32 || 29.7 || .483 || .293 || .738 || 4.2 || 2.5 || .4 || .4 || 15.5
|-
| align="left" | 1989–90
| align="left" | Detroit
| 78 || 40 || 25.7 || .488 || .333 || .756 || 3.9 || 1.9 || .4 || .2 || 14.1
|-
| align="left" | 1990–91
| align="left" | Detroit
| 78 || 13 || 25.7 || .462 || .308 || .757 || 4.8 || 1.8 || .6 || .3 || 14.2
|-
| align="left" | 1991–92
| align="left" | Detroit
| 75 || 12 || 21.1 || .431 || .211 || .687 || 3.1 || 1.7 || .7 || .1 || 11.3
|-
| align="left" | 1992–93
| align="left" | Detroit
| 51 || 15 || 20.7 || .443 || .361 || .767 || 3.0 || 2.1 || .3 || .1 || 9.9
|-
| align="left" | 1993–94
| align="left" | L.A. Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...


| 39 || 0 || 22.0 || .468 || .398 || .694 || 3.0 || 2.7 || .5 || .2 || 10.6
|-
| align="left" | All-Star
| align="left" |
| 3 || 0 || 14.0 || .542 || .400 || .800 || 1.3 || 1.3 || .7 || .3 || 12.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 923 || 639 || 30.0 || .484 || .312 || .741 || 5.0 || 3.1 || .7 || .3 || 20.0
|}

Playoffs

|-
| align="left" | 1983–84
1984 NBA Playoffs
The 1984 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1983-84 season. This was the first postseason allowing sixteen teams to qualify, a format that is still in use as of 2011...


| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 10 || – || 35.0 || .478 || .000 || .772 || 7.6 || 3.2 || .5 || .5 || 22.0
|-
| align="left" | 1984–85
1985 NBA Playoffs
The 1985 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1984-85 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics, four games to two, in the NBA Finals...


| align="left" | Dallas
| 4 || – || 41.0 || .494 || .500 || .844 || 7.5 || 4.0 || .8 || .0 || 29.0
|-
| align="left" | 1985–86
1986 NBA Playoffs
The 1986 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1985-86 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets, four games to two, in the NBA Finals. The Celtics won...


| align="left" | Dallas
| 10 || – || 34.5 || .491 || .333 || .363 || 7.1 || 5.4 || .9 || .0 || 24.7
|-
| align="left" | 1986–87
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...


| align="left" | Dallas
| 4 || – || 32.5 || .500 || .000 || .767 || 6.0 || 2.0 || 2.0 || .0 || 21.3
|-
| align="left" | 1987–88
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...


| align="left" | Dallas
| 17 || – || 21.6 || .500 || .382 || .698 || 5.9 || 3.3 || .8 || .5 || 21.6
|-
| align="left" | 1988–89
1989 NBA Playoffs
The 1989 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1988-89 NBA season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were severely hampered by injuries, four...


| align="left" | Detroit
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...


| 17 || – || 27.2 || .489 || .276 || .737 || 4.4 || 1.6 || .5 || .2 || 12.6
|-
| align="left" | 1989–90
1990 NBA Playoffs
The 1990 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1989-1990 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons successfully defending their championship by beating the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers...


| align="left" | Detroit
| 20 || – || 22.0 || .467 || .333 || .750 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .5 || .2 || 11.0
|-
| align="left" | 1990–91
1991 NBA Playoffs
The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1990–91 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship via a four-games-to-one victory over the Western Conference champion Los...


| align="left" | Detroit
| 15 || 2 || 26.5 || .506 || .364 || .824 || 4.1 || 1.9 || .8 || .1 || 15.6
|-
| align="left" | 1991–92
1992 NBA Playoffs
NBA Champions: Chicago BullsThe 1992 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament following the National Basketball Association's 1991-1992 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Western...


| align="left" | Detroit
| 5 || 0 || 22.6 || .333 || .200 || .750 || 1.8 || 2.4 || .4 || .2 || 9.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 102 || – || 29.0 || .485 || .317 || .743 || 5.3 || 2.6 || .7 || .2 || 17.1
|}

External links

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