Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

after playing three years at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

. Aguirre played in the NBA from 1981 until 1994 and won two championships with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

after being traded to Detroit from Dallas in exchange for Adrian Dantley. Aguirre was a three-time All-Star for Dallas. He was also the 1st Mexican-American basketball player to win an NBA title.

College career

While playing at

, Aguirre averaged 24.5 points over three seasons with the Blue Demons under coach

Ray Meyer Raymond Joseph Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois. He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record. Meye ...

. In 1981, Aguirre was ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' and Helms Foundation College Player of the Year. He also was the USBWA College Player of the Year and James Naismith Award winner in 1980, and a two-time member of ''The Sporting News'' All-America first team. As a freshman in 1978–1979, he led the Demons to the Final Four, where they lost to

Indiana State Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

, led by future

Basketball Hall of Famer The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

. The Chicago native played alongside

Terry Cummings Robert Terrell "Terry" Cummings (born March 15, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cummings was voted Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-Star, a ...

at DePaul, and found himself in the national spotlight during his three years at the university. Aguirre averaged 24.0 points as a freshman in 1978–79, and led the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four. Over the next two seasons he scored 26.8 and 23.0 points per game, respectively, and was named College Player of the Year in 1980–81.

1980 US Olympic Team

Aguirre was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic basketball team but was unable to compete due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. He did however receive one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes. Aguirre declared for the NBA draft after his junior year at DePaul. The Dallas Mavericks selected him with the first overall pick in the 1981 NBA draft.

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks (1981–1989)

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

in the 1981 NBA draft 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 Fletcher Vincent (born June 10, 1959) is an American former 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 ...

(21.4 ppg). The Mavericks improved by 13 games in the win column and finished ahead of the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, but were still twenty games behind division-leading

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. 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 The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in the Midwest Division. During the 1983–84 NBA season 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

Rolando Blackman Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player. He was a four-time NBA All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks. Blackman was born in Panama City, Panama, ...

(22.4 ppg) and the contributions of role players Brad Davis and

Pat Cummings Pat Cummings (July 11, 1956 – June 26, 2012Fo ...

. Dallas finished second in the Midwest at 43–39, and the team made its first playoff trip, beating the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in the opening round before losing to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

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 The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

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 The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

in the first two rounds of the postseason, then extended the Lakers to seven games before losing in the Western Conference Finals. 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

's 16,643 points and

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (, ; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the gre ...

's 31,560. While Aguirre's time in Dallas was full of high-scoring efforts and playoff visits, the Mavericks were postseason underachievers (their only Western Conference Finals visit was the 1988 loss to the Lakers), and Aguirre had repeated conflicts with coach

Dick Motta John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 ...

and players like Blackman,

Derek Harper Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A second-team All-American at the University of Illinois, he was the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guar ...

and James Donaldson. Then-team owner Donald Carter was a huge fan of Aguirre and hoped he would remain in Dallas for his entire career, but eventually conceded that the gulf between Aguirre and the team was unbridgeable. Midway through the 1988–89 season Aguirre was traded to the

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

Detroit Pistons (1989–1993)

After Aguirre was traded to the team, the Pistons won the NBA title in 1989. Despite not being a lead scoring option like he was in Dallas, Aguirre played a key role in Detroit's championship run, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

, where he led the team in scoring with 25 points in a narrow Game 3 loss and averaged 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds over the rest of the six game series. He showed he could blend into a successful team by taking fewer shots, playing hard on defense, and not complaining when his younger teammate

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best rebounding ...

's minutes increased. In the 1990 playoffs, which culminated with Detroit repeating as champions with a five-game

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

win over Portland, Aguirre averaged 11 points a game. The following postseason, Aguirre scored his highest postseason total as a Piston, with 34 points in a Game 4 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, in the following round, the Pistons would be defeated by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

and the Bulls, bringing their title defense to a close. Aguirre played two more seasons with the Pistons in an increasingly limited role, due to both Rodman's play and his own age and injury issues.

Los Angeles Clippers (1993–1994)

In 1993, the Pistons released Aguirre. After he cleared waivers the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

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.

Personal life

Aguirre is a Mexican American that has been married to Angela Bowman since January 1988. Aguirre, whose father was from Mexico, at one point considered playing for team Mexico at the 1992 Olympics.

Honors

* Aguirre was inducted into the

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

in 2016. * Aguirre's #24 was retired by the

DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul’s Athletic Director is DeWayne P ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1981–82 , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 51 , , 20 , , 28.8 , , .465 , , .352 , , .680 , , 4.9 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" , 1982–83 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 75 , , 34.4 , , .483 , , .211 , , .728 , , 6.3 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 24.4 , - , align="left" , 1983–84 , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 79 , , 36.7 , , .524 , , .268 , , .749 , , 5.9 , , 4.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 29.5 , - , align="left" , 1984–85 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 79 , , 33.7 , , .506 , , .318 , , .759 , , 6.0 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 25.7 , - , align="left" , 1985–86 , align="left" ,

, 74 , , 73 , , 33.8 , , .503 , , .286 , , .705 , , 6.0 , , 4.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 22.6 , - , align="left" , 1986–87 , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 80 , , 33.3 , , .495 , , .353 , , .770 , , 5.3 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 25.7 , - , align="left" , 1987–88 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , 77 , , 33.9 , , .475 , , .302 , , .770 , , 5.6 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .7 , , 25.1 , - , align="left" , 1988–89 , align="left" ,

, 44 , , 44 , , 34.8 , , .450 , , .293 , , .730 , , 5.3 , , 4.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1988–89† , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 36 , , 32 , , 29.7 , , .483 , , .293 , , .738 , , 4.2 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1989–90† , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 40 , , 25.7 , , .488 , , .333 , , .756 , , 3.9 , , 1.9 , , .4 , , .2 , , 14.1 , - , align="left" , 1990–91 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , 13 , , 25.7 , , .462 , , .308 , , .757 , , 4.8 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 14.2 , - , align="left" , 1991–92 , align="left" ,

, 75 , , 12 , , 21.1 , , .431 , , .211 , , .687 , , 3.1 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 15 , , 20.7 , , .443 , , .361 , , .767 , , 3.0 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , .1 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" , L.A. Clippers , 39 , , 0 , , 22.0 , , .468 , , .398 , , .694 , , 3.0 , , 2.7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 10.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 923 , , 639 , , 30.0 , , .484 , , .312 , , .741 , , 5.0 , , 3.1 , , .7 , , .3 , , 20.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 3 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .542 , , .400 , , .800 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 12.0

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1984 , align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 35.0 , , .478 , , .000 , , .772 , , 7.6 , , 3.2 , , .5 , , .5 , , 22.0 , - , align="left" , 1985 , align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 41.0 , , .494 , , .500 , , .844 , , 7.5 , , 4.0 , , .8 , , .0 , , 29.0 , - , align="left" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 10 , , 34.5 , , .491 , , .333 , , .363 , , 7.1 , , 5.4 , , .9 , , .0 , , 24.7 , - , align="left" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 4 , , 32.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , .767 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 21.3 , - , align="left" ,

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, align="left" ,

, 17 , , 17 , , 21.6 , , .500 , , .382 , , .698 , , 5.9 , , 3.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , 21.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1989† , align="left" ,

, 17 , , 17 , , 27.2 , , .489 , , .276 , , .737 , , 4.4 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

† , align="left" ,

, 20 , , 3 , , 22.0 , , .467 , , .333 , , .750 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, align="left" ,

, 15 , , 2 , , 26.5 , , .506 , , .364 , , .824 , , 4.1 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .1 , , 15.6 , - , align="left" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 0 , , 22.6 , , .333 , , .200 , , .750 , , 1.8 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 9.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 102 , , 67 , , 29.0 , , .485 , , .317 , , .743 , , 5.3 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .2 , , 17.1

References

External links

nba.com historical playerfile

* 198
Oscar Robertson Trophy
USBWA College Player of the Year {{DEFAULTSORT:Aguirre, Mark 1959 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Basketball coaches from Illinois Basketball players from Chicago Congressional Gold Medal recipients Dallas Mavericks draft picks Dallas Mavericks players DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players Detroit Pistons players George Westinghouse College Prep alumni Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Los Angeles Clippers players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association All-Stars New York Knicks assistant coaches Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Small forwards 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople