Brad Davis wasn’t one of the original Dallas Mavericks, joining the first-year expansion club almost two months into its first season when they signed him as a free agent in December 1980.
Davis had played most of the previous season with the Anchorage Northern Lights in the Continental Basketball Association and had finished out the season with the Utah Jazz.
Signed by the
in July 1980, he didn’t make it out of training camp and was unemployed until the Mavericks came calling.
Davis was the team’s starting point guard for most of the next six seasons before moving into a reserve role and had the unusual distinction of having his number retired while he was still wearing it.
The Mavericks retired Davis’ No. 15 in November 1991, early in what was his last year in the NBA before he retired in April 1992.
He was third in the NBA in 3-point shooting and free-throw percentage in 1984-85.
In parts of 12 seasons in Dallas, Davis averaged 8.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game, shooting .510/.321/.830.
Davis averaged 12.4 points per game as a senior at Maryland and was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 15th overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft.
Davis was waived by the Lakers in October 1978 and signed with the Indiana Pacers in February 1979. He remained an unsigned free agent through the summer until catching on with the Jazz in February 1980.
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