First Game Played October 17, 1967
Last Game Played April 3, 1969
Moved to Carolina in 1969
Historical Moments
1967/68: Owned by businessman T. C. Morrow, and group of minority partners that included Bud Adams who had success with Houston Oilers, the Houston Mavericks were one of two teams in Texas for the ten team start up ABA. Playing their games at the Sam Houston Coliseum, the Mavericks who were named after a team from the old Professional Basketball League of America got off to an inauspicious start when coach Slater Martin showed up at the first ABA draft without the required $30,000 bond to select players. By the time Martin was able to get the money through other channels; he’d missed the first four rounds and was forced to recruit players from the Eastern Basketball Association. The Mavericks would win their first game against the Denver Rockets 102-85 on October 17th, but struggled right afterward losing their next eight games, including their home opener at the Sam Houston Coliseum against the Dallas Chaparrals. The Mavericks would also struggle to draw fans, as their average attendance of 1,543 was the worst in the ABA. The two best players on the Mavericks were Willie Sommerset and Art Becker who averaged 21.7 ppg and 18.8 ppg respectively. The Mavericks would finish the season with a 29-49 record good enough for fourth place in the Western Division, earning a playoff spot. The Mavericks stay in the playoffs would be a short one as they are swept by the Dallas Chaparrals.
1968/69: In their second season, thing would not improve for the Mavericks as they continued to have the worst attendance in the ABA, though official averages listed their attendance at 1,147 per game, most nights they struggled to get 500 fans in the building. Not surprisingly the Mavs struggled on the court as they finished the season in last place with a record of 23-55. One of the only bright spots was Willie Sommerset who played in the All-Star Game and averaged 23.5 ppg. As the season came to an end it became apparent the Mavericks would be relocating to Carolina with new Owner Jim Gardner. In their final home game on April 2nd a 149-132 win over the New York Nets; the Mavericks had an embarrassing 89 fans in attendance at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Despite the failures of the Mavericks, Houston would soon become home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets who would go on to be a success upon moving to Houston in 1971.
 Logo 1967/68 |  Logo 1968/69 |  |
Arenas
Players
 Dewitt Menyard 1967/68 |  Art Becker 1967-1969 |  Leary Lentz 1967-1969 |  Willie Sommerset 1967-1969 |
 Don Carlos 1968/69 |  Richard Clark 1968/69 |  Tony Jackson 1968/69 |  Stew Johnson 1968/69 |
 Keith Swaggerty 1968/69 |  Bob Verga 1968/69 |
Stats researched by Frank Fleming, all information, and team names are property of the American Basketball Association. This site is not affiliated with the Houston Mavericks or the ABA. This site is maintained for research purposes only. All logos used on this page were from Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page. Page created on June 30, 2012. Last updated on June 30, 2012 at 12:30 am ET.
