For the Mavericks, losing was a regular occurrence throughout the 1990s. From 1991 to 2000, the Mavs were out of the playoffs for ten years. There were a few memorable little moments in the franchise’s history during the postseason drought.

In order to support 1995 Rookie of the Year Jason Kidd, the Mavs sought a big man to help improve the squad in 1996. In an effort to support Kidd, the team signed Chris Gatling, who had just been in the top 10 of the Sixth Man of the Year voting the previous two seasons.

Gatling was a standout player for Dallas off the bench on a poor Mavs squad. Gatling played in 44 games, averaging 19.1 points and 7.9 rebounds, to help the Mavericks qualify for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game. Gatling appeared to be a player who would dominate Dallas for many years, but that didn’t work out.

Gatling joined the New Jersey Nets shortly after the 1997 All-Star Game. Though moving to New Jersey may have felt like a homecoming for Gatling, who attended Elizabeth High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he played three games for the Nets following the trade.