Mavericks bring season tipoff to Oak Cliff's Halperin Park, plus $50,000 park grant

About 3,000 kids filled Halperin Park in Oak Cliff on Monday, Oct. 19, when the Dallas Mavericks took their season tipoff celebration out into the community for the first time in the franchise's 46-year history.

The setting carried its own meaning. Halperin Park is the five-acre deck park that spans I-35 and opened earlier this year. It was created to bridge the social, economic and highway divide of historic Oak Cliff. April Allen is president and CEO of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, which oversees the park, and has lived in Oak Cliff for more than two decades. "You can see the hope in the kids and families here today," she said. She told the crowd the team had come "right here where all of us live."

Mavericks TV personalities Jeff Wade, Mark Followill and Dana Larson hosted a ceremony that included interviews with team president Masai Ujiri, coach Dusty May and several players. Team CEO Rick Welts presented a $50,000 grant from the Mavs Foundation to Halperin Park. Welts described the event as "something that embraces the whole community."

Then came the main event. Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki led several franchise greats onto the stage, and P.A. announcer Sean Heath introduced every current Maverick one by one. Nowitzki also signed autographs for young fans and played with kids. In one moment, a young fan tried to block his shot while sitting on the shoulders of former Mav Eduardo Nájera. During his remarks, Ujiri thanked Nowitzki for coming and for the example he has set for this generation of the organization.

For many of the kids there, it may have been the first time they saw the team anywhere other than on TV. This story is based on original reporting by The Dallas Morning News.