Mark Aguirre will have his jersey retired Jan. 29, 2026, by the Dallas Mavericks, who selected him No. 1 in the 1981 NBA Draft. Quinn Harris / Getty Images
More than three decades after Mark Aguirre last played in the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks announced they will retire his No. 24 jersey in the American Airlines Center rafters.
Aguirre’s jersey retirement will take place in a halftime ceremony of the Mavericks’ Jan. 29 game against the Charlotte Hornets. Aguirre, the franchise’s third all-time leading scorer who helped Dallas reach the Western Conference finals in 1988, was visibly emotional when Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont gave him the news last week.
January 29, 2026 🤠
Join us as we raise #24 to the rafters and honor Mark Aguirre — the 1981 No. 1 overall pick who helped build the foundation of Mavericks basketball. Forever a Maverick 💚#MFFL pic.twitter.com/veD9sDPVIb
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 27, 2025
The Mavericks drafted Aguirre with the No. 1 pick in 1981. In seven-plus seasons with the team, Aguirre was a three-time All-Star selection. He averaged 24.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 566 games with Dallas.
In February 1989, the Mavericks traded Aguirre to the Detroit Pistons for Adrian Dantley. Aguirre won back-to-back championships in Detroit in 1989 and 1990. He played 13 seasons in the league, ending his career in 1994 with the LA Clippers.
Any iciness that still existed between the Mavericks and Aguirre stemming from the trade appeared to have thawed this past summer, when Aguirre attended the Mavericks’ draft night party in June. Dallas chose Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 selection — the first time it had that pick since Aguirre became a Maverick.
Aguirre will become the fifth player in Mavericks franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Brad Davis (No. 15), Rolando Blackman (No. 22), Derek Harper (No. 12) and Dirk Nowitzki (No. 41) in that exclusive group of Dallas greats.
Oct 28, 2025
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