The Dallas Mavericks spread holiday cheer once again this year at their annual Cookies with Santa event, partnering with Target to make the holiday season extra special for the children at Vogel Alcove.
The entire 2024-25 Dallas Mavericks roster was at Friday’s celebration, helping the kids with holiday crafts and cookie decorating, writing letters to Santa, and passing out a pile of presents to the 50 Pre-K-aged children invited to the celebration.
Each child who attended unwrapped a big-ticket wish-list gift during the event, and on Christmas Day will open bags stuffed to the brim with even more wish-list items and daily essentials donated by Target.
For 10 years, the Dallas Mavericks have hosted this event, which has grown to be much more than just an afternoon of cookies and presents— it’s an opportunity for the players to give back to children in the North Texas community.
“I was at the arts and crafts station drawing pictures with Jazian [Gortman],” said Quentin Grimes, who was a first timer at the Mavs Cookies for Santa event along with two-way player Gortman. “We were drawing houses, gingerbread people, Santa Claus, and one of the kids was eating Santa Claus [cookies] while we were drawing him, so it was just a lot of fun.”
“[When I was a kid, I remember] I basically couldn’t sleep the whole night because you can’t wait until the next morning— it’s just the holiday feeling,” said Mavs forward Oliver-Maxence Prosper. “The fact that you get together with family and spend quality time, open presents, it brings back memories, and I’m glad that we could be a part of that for the kids here, so they get that feeling of Christmas cheer.”
“Seeing the reaction on the faces when the kids got their presents— it was just a moment come true for them,” Brandon Williams told Mavs.com. “You could see it on their faces, the excitement that was there, and to do it with our whole team was perfect.”
“We’re getting into the holiday spirit,” said Lively, who quickly migrated from the ornament-making station to show off his Lego building skills. “There’s a lot of people who aren’t fortunate enough to have presents or have a tree for Christmas, so we’re trying to help the kids by making sure their day is made, their Christmas is made, and just trying to make an impact.”
“I think the main thing is just us being here,” Dante Exum shared. “The kids don’t even care that we’re basketball players…it’s just about bringing that joy to their holiday season, and it means a lot for the whole team to be here.”
The Mavs Foundation is nearing the end of its 2024 Season of Giving, but for the children at this year’s Cookies with Santa event, the holiday memories will last a lifetime.
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