The boys and girls are chosen based on their character, leadership skills and ability to adapt under intense pressure.
They have a wide-range of duties beyond just mopping up sweat during the game and shagging rebounds for players. The teens must understand the rhythm and pulse of the game and remember little quirks about each players’ routines.
Others are tasked with running errands for the teams and media crew, weaving through the boisterous and excited crowds while keeping calm and composed. They play a vital role for smooth, uninterrupted gameplay and ensure that the needs of coaches, players and officials are met throughout the game. The Mavs Ballkids also greet fans at the arena and give out promotional items and help with on-court activities during timeouts.
Without a doubt, they get the best seats in the house while on the job.
Brody McClure, a senior at Midlothian Heritage High School, is a veteran member of the Dallas Mavs Ballkid program. This is his fifth and final NBA season because he will graduate from the program at the end of the year and head to Texas Tech University next fall.
He will enter college as a Texas Tech Presidential Merit Scholarship recipient, awarded to freshmen students for exceptional academic achievement and success.
Until then, McClure, 18, is relishing past memories and looking forward to creating new ones this year. He knows it’s a privilege to work alongside some of the top athletes in the world.
“Being on the court can be stressful at times,” said McClure, who also plays varsity basketball at Midlothian Heritage. “When I’m out there, I feel like all of my senses are going crazy because you have to watch the game, be ready to move and make sure you won’t get in anyone’s way at the same time. When you work, you have to find the middle ground between living in the moment of being around NBA players and enjoying the game, but still realizing you are on the job and working.”
This year, McClure is also bringing his Mavs’ love into the classroom with a custom-made Luka Dončić backpack.
He said it’s a tradition at Midlothian Heritage to have a senior backpack that reflects one’s personality. Without a doubt, he knew the Mavs had to be incorporated in his attire this year.
“I went on Twitter and started looking around,” McClure explained. “Sure enough the Luka picture holding a baby Devin Booker was the first meme I saw. I immediately knew — THAT IS MY SENIOR BACKPACK! Everyone knows that I might be the most dedicated Mavs fan in high school…I just enjoy making people laugh and that was the best way to do it.”
Education is important to the family. McClure’s mother, Kristen, is an eighth grade science teacher at Walnut Grove Middle School in Midlothian. His dad, Jesse McClure, works for AT&T and he has a younger sister named, Abby, who is a sophomore at Heritage.
McClure says the lessons he’s learned with the Mavs over the years will play a valuable role in his future. He believes the Dallas Mavs Ballkid program has set him up for success.
“This program has taught me how to be confident, how to act professionally and how to represent your organization in the best way possible,” McClure added. “They always went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and a part of the organization. I can’t tell you how many times Dallas Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall even stopped by our locker room to say hello. I am thankful for my years as a Dallas Mavericks BallKid and will forever be an MFFL.”
The Dallas Mavs youth basketball eco-system is overseen by the Mavs Academy and provides best-in-class opportunities for student-athletes throughout the year at camps, clinics, community events and with the Mavs BallKid program.
Ben Hunt is the Dallas Mavs director of youth basketball. He said this year the organization will have 60-plus boys and girls serving as Mavs Ballkids. They span between the ages of 13-18 and represent cities all across North Texas.
The application process consists of a written essay and proof of academic success. Earning good grades is an important evaluation criterion to make sure the kids have a solid scholastic standing, and therefore have the time required to do the job properly.
Hunt said McClure will be one of the longest-tenured ball kids this season and entrusted to set the tone and pace for the newcomers.
“To be a Dallas Mavericks Ballkid, there are many qualities you must display,” Hunt shared.
“They must have great character, be responsible, trustworthy, and reliable, just to name a few. Brody displays these qualities and many more on a nightly basis at our home games. Brody’s leadership has been instrumental at camp, also. He leads and guides younger campers when needed and always encourages others to be their best!”
McClure said it’s an honor to help the top basketball players in the world prepare for the games. He said all the players are kind and gracious, but he noted that veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber seem to stand out in particular.
“When I shag the balls for Dorian, there is not one time I do not get a thank you,” McClure said. “His thank you makes me feel on top of the world.”
Meanwhile, he said that Kleber includes the Mavs BallKids in his pregame routine, making them all feel special (more on that later).
Basketball is such an essential part of McClure’s life that he plans to major in sports management at Texas Tech next year and hopefully return to the Mavericks someday and work with the organization.
He said the Mavs have served as an essential backdrop to his own personal life and pushed him to chase after his dreams.
“I have always loved basketball, but when I tried out in seventh grade for the team, I did not make it,” McClure shared. “I was about to quit basketball altogether, and then my middle school principal, Mr. Blackwell, told me about a video of Rolando Blackman yelling ‘Confidence Baby, Confidence!’ at the free-throw line to tie the 1987 All-Star game as one of the last picks for the game.
“Ever since I saw that video and heard his underdog story, I have loved the game like never before. I have worked out, trained and grinded, and made the team every year since I saw that video. In eighth grade when I tried out, my mom wrote on the napkins in my lunchbox and everyday during tryouts it said ‘Confidence Baby, Confidence.’ That is why Rolando Blackman will go down as my favorite player of all time and became my idol in life.”
Mavs.com recently caught up with McClure to learn more about his life and his experience working alongside the Dallas Mavericks. Some questions and answers have been edited for brevity.
MCCLURE: The two main people I can think of are Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finny-Smith. Maxi has made us part of his pregame routine by trying to fight us and the trainers have to hold him back. It makes me laugh every time. I’m hoping the trainers do not slip up because if they do, I will be in some big trouble going against a 6-10 professional athlete.
Then, when I shag the balls for Dorian, there is not one time I do not get a thank you. His thank you makes me feel on top of the world.
MCCLURE: I remember one night I was shagging balls for the 76ers and Ben Simmons walked up to me and said “do not give this guy the ball, he cannot shoot!” And by “this guy”, he was referring to Matisse Thybulle. I just went on with my job and started passing the ball to Matisse. Ben started to get mad at me, but we started to laugh about it and in my head I was thinking ‘I am really having a laugh with NBA players right now?’ It was such an amazing moment.
MCCLURE: Being on the court can be stressful at times. When I’m out there I feel like all of my senses are going crazy because you have to watch the game, be ready to move and make sure you won’t get in anyone’s way at the same time. There are videos that have gone viral of BallKids messing up and actually disrupting the game. No one wants to be that BallKid.
When you work you have to find the middle ground between living in the moment of being around NBA players and enjoying the game but still realizing you are on the job and working. Coach Ben always says live in the moment and I’m always aware that someone is always watching us. Once you are on that NBA court all of your problems go away and in my case all I can do is smile because I am standing five feet from NBA players and I have thousands of people looking at us. This program has matured me for the better. I feel like the skills I have learned in the BallKid program cross over into my academics and other areas of my life that are invaluable.
MCCLURE: I was sitting behind the basket one night when Luka came flying out of bounds twisting his ankle. He was rolling around on the ground in pain right in front of me. I was so close to him and had no idea what to do. You want to help but you also know you better not touch Luka. I was on TV and had the weirdest expression like should I watch or look away?
MCCLURE: I started playing organized basketball for our city league in first grade. My dad grew up playing basketball and watching the Mavericks. I really became passionate for our Dallas team in middle school. My seventh grade science teacher, Mr. Gordon, nominated me for the Exxon-Mobil Co-Captain Award for students that had a passion for science and basketball. I was invited to a Mavericks game where I was able to go down on the court and shoot some baskets before the game. I got to high-five players as they came around the bench to enter the court, and then I had my picture taken at the first of the game with the captain of both teams.
When I was shooting baskets before the game I noticed the teenagers that were shagging balls for me. They had on uniforms and were out on the court with me. We asked the Dallas Mavericks staff member that had escorted us down to the court if he could tell us more information on who they were and how you could get that job.
He explained a little about the BallKid program and we really did some research on it when we got home. The first requirement is that you attend a Dallas Mavericks Hoop Camp. We signed up for one that summer (the summer before my eighth grade year) and I asked Coach Ben Hunt for an application while I was there. I filled out my application, wrote my required essay and turned over my grade transcript and waited for the news. When I got the letter saying that I had been chosen I was ecstatic. Even then I had no idea of the experiences and opportunities that I was about to have.
I have now been a Dallas Mavericks Ballkid for five seasons.
MCCLURE: I have always loved basketball but when I tried out in seventh grade for the team I did not make it. I was about to quit basketball altogether and then my middle school principal, Mr. Blackwell, told me about a video of Rolando Blackman yelling “Confidence Baby, Confidence” at the free-throw line to tie the 1987 All-Star game as one of the last picks for the game. Ever since I saw that video and heard his underdog story, I have loved the game like never before. I have worked out, trained and grinded and have made the team every year since I saw that video. In eighth grade when I tried out, my mom wrote on the napkins in my lunchbox and everyday during tryouts it said “Confidence Baby, Confidence.”
That is why Rolando Blackman will go down as my favorite player of all time and become my idol in life.
MCCLURE: Rolando Blackman is my idol in life. He was a pivotal player for the Mavericks and now works for the organization. Then, Dirk Nowitzki — of course everyone probably says Dirk, but how can you not? He is the epitome of hard working, loyal and will forever be a hero of mine. As a Ballkid, I had the amazing opportunity to stand on the court the night Dirk announced his retirement and I will never forget that night. I had just worked the 4th quarter so we stayed down by the basket for what was about to happen after the game. It is probably the best moment I have been able to experience as a BallKid.
So many legendary players showed up for his retirement and I can agree that he revolutionized the game with his one leg fadeaway.
Luka has to be mentioned because I have seen this man do the impossible. I had the honor of taking an exchange student from our high school to their first ever NBA game. We got to see one of the best endings ever – it was the game where Luka hit the step back over two people and hit the buzzer beater to win the game vs the Celtics.
After that game I was fired up! You live for games like that and she got to experience it at her first and only NBA game ever. Then you fast forward to Game 7 vs the Suns, Luka had the same amount of points as the Suns in the first half. I say this not just as a Mavs fan, but that game could go down as the most dominant Game 7 [performance] of all time.
MCCLURE: We have probably been to over 100 Mavs games, but when we are not able to make it, I find a way to watch it. Usually my family gathers down stairs to watch it in the living room, but if it is a late game, everyone else goes to sleep while I stay up and watch it upstairs. If I am traveling for high school basketball, I will tune in and watch it on my phone or listen to a station that might be covering it on the radio.
I remember I was watching the Mavs play the Jazz in the playoffs and everyone was asleep, but I saw Spencer Dinwiddie absolutely put Rudy Gobert on a poster and I could not contain myself! I just started screaming and woke everyone up in the house! But even if I am not at the game or at home I still find a way to watch the game either on my phone or through the radio, I try my best to never miss a game.
I was there the night that Dirk passed Wilt Chamberlain to become the sixth all-time NBA scorer. I was there for Dirk’s announcement on his retirement with so many legends on the court. I am proud to say I was at Dirk’s last home game. The next day, my dad and I drove down to San Antonio so that we could attend Dirk’s last official game. It was incredible to hear the San Antonio fans showing and shouting their support for one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
MCCLURE: There are no words to describe the way Luka plays. He is just one of those players that knows what is going to happen before it happens; if you look at his eyes when he plays he goes over different scenarios in his head. I have never 
seen that before.
His basketball IQ is phenomenal. Also, I have never seen someone slow down in mid-air to shoot a layup. He almost defies gravity when he goes up, not because of his vertical, but because of his control.
Luka just understands the game better than anyone and in my opinion he is the best point guard in the league. He has already had a record-breaking career at such a young age. He is doing things in this league that no one has seen before. I’m excited I get to be here as a Mavs fan to see it all play out. My favorite memory has to be the buzzer beater that Luka hit against the Celtics and Luka’s Game 7 against the Suns.
MCCLURE: I was able to watch every game of the playoffs this year and the best memory I have is Game 7 vs the Suns. I was the only one home at the time because my sister had a dance recital. When they got home, the game only had like five minutes left, so I grabbed my speaker and started blasting music! We all started to dance around the house because we were so happy because it was the first time we have done that since 2011!
MCCLURE: I do not know if this is a thing everywhere but a lot of seniors at our school like to have a senior backpack and a lot of kids just do the normal video game or kids show backpack. My friend Austin and I decided to mix it up a little bit so we went on Amazon and custom designed a backpack. I did not know what image I was going to use at the time so I went on Twitter and started looking around. Sure enough the Luka picture holding a baby Devin Booker was the first meme I saw. I immediately knew — THAT IS MY SENIOR BACKPACK!
Everyone knows that I might be the most dedicated Mavs fan in highschool so most people when they saw it just said that is absolutely perfect for you and I bet if we had a competition at our school for best backpack I would definitely win. You can ask people at our school when I say the backpack is not the craziest basketball thing I have ever worn. I just enjoy making people laugh and that was the best way to do it.
MCCLURE: I feel like the Mavs are going to do the exact same or a little better. We did lose a big playoff star this summer to the Knicks, so that kind of hurt, but if you think about it, Luka has not played with a true center like Javale Mcgee or Christian Wood in his entire career.
So, I feel like if there are more paint-specific players then it will open up Luka and other players on the pick and roll. I do not know how, but Nico Harrison was also able to snag Jaden Hardy out of the draft. I thought he was going in the top 15, but I think he could somewhat replace Jalen Brunson. Our team is looking good and not just as a Mavs fan but as a NBA fan. I see them going back to the Western Conference Finals or even the Finals.
MCCLURE: After high school, I will attend Texas Tech University and hope to become a basketball manager. I want to major in Sports Management with the hopes of returning to work for the Dallas Mavericks. My whole life revolves around basketball so it would only make sense that my future job is something with the sport. I feel like I’ve grown up somewhat at the American Airlines Center. My absolute dream job would definitely be The GM of a NBA team.
MCCLURE: Sports can bring many gifts like friendships and bonding, it builds confidence. At our high school football is the main priority, like most Texas high schools. Growing a program and fan base in such a competitive football state is an obstacle all high school basketball programs face. Our parents are dedicated to bringing fans in and supporting us all over the metroplex as we compete at different schools.
This will be the first year that Midlothian Heritage Highschool will compete in 5A. We understand that we will have a difficult list of teams to compete against in our district but our head coach, Andrew Slye, is ready for the challenge.
He has made sure that we grew close as a family in our four years at the school. We spend time with each other on and off the court. We are there to help each other with class work and many of us participate in other activities together outside of basketball like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society and just hanging out as friends. We are just one big family who all have a passion for an amazing game.
MCCLURE: One of my biggest accomplishments happened my first year as a Dallas Mavericks Ballkid. During the parent meeting we were told that each BallKid is assigned 14 games to work, but that we can work any and all games we want to. I immediately turned to my parents and whispered “all games.” As a family we said “challenge accepted.”
If I remember correctly, that year we had 41 home games plus 2 preseason home games for a total of 43 games. I worked 42 of those games – I missed one game – but only because I volunteered as a BallKid to work the Dallas Mavericks High School tournament that was held annually. My Mom kept every ticket from that season and framed them. For the one game I missed she put in my VIP pass from the tournament.
Looking back I still can’t believe I got to attend 42 Mavericks games in a season! The second season as a BallKid was pretty much the same. I did have to miss some games because of my own high school basketball schedule. That season, during spring break, my family flew to New York for vacation. My parents surprised us with tickets to attend a New York Knicks game (all decked out in our Mavericks gear) at Madison Square Garden. The next day we traveled to Rucker Park because if you are any kind of basketball fan you know ALL of the greats have played on this court in Harlem.
We must have hung out at the court for a couple of hours shooting baskets – even met some fellow Mavericks fans from Dallas while we were there. On that Wednesday of Spring Break, I was supposed to be working the game. I had another BallKid work for me that night since we were going to be out of town. It was my dad’s birthday and we had decided to take the night off in New York to order food and just watch the Mavericks game in our hotel room. That was the night that the NBA shut down because of the pandemic.
Being a BallKid my sophomore and junior years looked much different. All of our BallKid meetings were virtual and we were not allowed to work the games anymore. I still attended my Hoop Camps in the summer and reapplied to be a BallKid each year, not knowing what it would look like.
I would like to say that Ben Hunt, Brad Freeman, Ronard Patton and Kelli Robinson really kept the program alive when we couldn’t be there in person. They scheduled instrumental guest speakers for our meetings that kept us motivated and focused on our goals. They always reminded us that we are a part of the Dallas Mavericks organization and hopefully things will soon be back to normal.
I’m hoping we have a normal year this season and return to the Dallas Mavs Ballkid locker room and get back to greeting Mavs fans at the doors as they enter into the American Airlines Center. We hope to get back to working the court and supporting our team. Thanks to the Dallas Mavs BallKid program (not a paid position), I will graduate with over 400 hours of community service.
This program has taught me how to be confident, how to act professionally and how to represent your organization in the best way possible. They always went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and a part of the organization.
I can’t tell you how many times Dallas Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall even stopped by our locker room to say hello. I am thankful for my years as a Dallas Mavericks BallKid and will forever be an MFFL.
Share and comment