Mavs of the Past: Jason Terry - Dallas Sports Nation

Jason Eugene Terry was a one-of-a-kind Dallas Maverick. Nicknamed “the Jet,” he is one of the most iconic players in franchise history.

With his knee-high socks, headband, and vibrant personality, he was a personal favorite of mine and many other MFFLs.

He enjoyed a great career, playing in Dallas from 2004-2012. Jet established himself as one of the league’s best bench scorers with the Mavs, playing Robin to Dirk Nowitzki’s Batman.

He is also the only Maverick besides Dirk to play in the 2006 and 2011 finals.

Terry starred in the Seattle area during high school before heading to basketball powerhouse Arizona for college. Jet didn’t take the one-and-done route that many NBA prospects take in college today. He played 4 years at Arizona and even won the national championship during his sophomore season. That wasn’t it for college accomplishments, as Jet would go on to win Pac-12 Player of the Year and made the all-conference first team his senior season.

Jason’s patience in college paid off when the Hawks took him 10^th overall in the 1999 NBA draft. Terry enjoyed a nice rookie campaign with some good performances. He turned it on his 2^nd year by leading the Hawks in scoring. He averaged 19.7 points per game and also showed the ability to hit open teammates, averaging just under 5 assists per game. Funny enough, he dropped his career-high 46 points in a regular season game vs. the Mavs in 2002.

Terry enjoyed some personal success in Atlanta and made himself a legit offensive threat at the 2 guard, but this is a guy that plays the game to win. After failing to make the playoffs in 4 years in Atlanta, the Jet was traded to the Mavericks on August 4, 2004. This is when Jason really started having fun and became a household name with his lovable persona.

At the time, Mavs fans were upset about the move because Steve Nash just left the team for Phoenix, and Terry was seen as the replacement to the All-Star point guard.

However, he would win over the hearts of fans quickly. In Dallas, he was famous for his “jet on the runway” celebration, where he mimicked a jet plane’s wings with his arms after making a big shot. The fans quickly ate it up, and Terry was the perfect compliment to the more reserved Dirk Nowitzki.

The Jet’s best skill was his clutch shooting ability. He started games in his early years in Dallas but would transition to a bench role later in his Mavs career. He worked so well in that role because once starters like Dirk headed to the bench for a rest, the Jet would come in and start getting buckets. This culminated in Terry winning the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2009, but Terry wanted more.

He famously got the Larry O’Brien trophy tatted on his bicep before the 2011 championship season. Terry called his shot, and he and the rest of the squad made good on his call as they brought home the trophy later that year, beating King James and the Heat in epic fashion. Dallas had been making deep playoff runs and was consistently winning 50 games a year, but a championship was elusive. Jet was money in the close-out game 6, posting a game-high 27 points.