Two former Dallas Mavericks – Amar'e Stoudemire (No. 32) and Shawn Marion (No. 31) – will have their jerseys retired for the Phoenix Suns, The Athletic reports.
The two players both began their career in the early 2000's, with Marion being drafted in the 1999 NBA Draft. Marion spent five seasons with the Mavericks, whereas Stoudemire appeared with the team for one season and just 23 games.
Marion played with the Mavericks in the back half of his lengthy career, but it was his second-longest tenured team. He spent his first eight-and-a-half seasons with the Suns, and he's now being immortalized for the impact he had in Phoenix.
During his time with the Mavericks, Marion won the only NBA Championship of his career. The four-time All-Star appeared in 80 games, starting 27 of them, in the 2011 championship season. Although Dirk Nowitzki, who is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend, was the MVP of that squad, Marion, along with Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd were the defensive linchpins that helped Dallas get over the hump.
In his five seasons with the Mavs, Marion averaged 11.6 points per game in 30.4 minutes per game. He was a key role player and maintained a steady stream of minutes under former head coach Rick Carlisle for that very reason.
As Nowitzki gets enshrined on Saturday, one could make the case that Marion, who has a title, four All-Star nods and two All-NBA selections on his resume, should find his way into the Hall of Fame at some point in the near future as well. And although he spent nearly double the amount of time in Phoenix than he did in Dallas, the case could be made for the Mavs to retire Marion's No. 0 at American Airlines Center as well.
Stoudemire, who, as mentioned, played just 23 games with the Mavericks, spent eight seasons with the Suns and made five of his six All-Star appearances representing Phoenix. Both Stoudemire and Marion played a big part in Steve Nash being able to win back-to-back MVPs from 2004-06.
Stoudemire's Mavericks tenure came in his second-to-last NBA season. He averaged 10.8 points per game in 16.5 minutes per game as a buyout signee. During his eight seasons with the Suns, though, he averaged 21.4 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Both players joined the Mavericks in the back half of their careers, and though Marion was able to be more productive for longer, the two were never able to be stars in Dallas. Marion was a 'star in his role' for a handful of years in Dallas, which ultimately led to a championship, and he's continued to advocate for the Mavs since retiring, so perhaps he'll receive another jersey retirement from Mark Cuban one of these days.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
More must-reads: