The fans weren’t the only ones who enjoyed Fan Jam.
Four groups of Mavs players, divided evenly across the Platinum level at the AAC for an autograph session on Saturday, all enjoyed the opportunity to meet the fans and have a laugh doing so. Monta Ellis sat with his son at one table, right next to Jae Crowder and his daughter. Monta Jr. clutched a sharpie just like his dad, as if he was waiting for his turn to sign a jersey or picture. Dirk Nowitzki was obviously a star attraction, chatting with fans about everything from his tweaked shot to their favorite soccer teams.
Chandler Parsons was probably the most photographed Maverick of the day. He shared a table with Richard Jefferson, who hand-drummed along with music blasting from his phone. Although the sociable Jefferson declined comment when asked what the strangest thing he’d ever signed is — “you don’t want to know,” he said — he did enjoy the chance to meet and greet with Mavs season ticket holders and other fans.
“One of the reasons I’m so excited about coming here is I knew about the fan base,” he said. “You see Dallas fans everywhere. There’s not a team that I’ve played for when we were at home and Dallas came to town that they didn’t have a large fan contingent there. To be a part of this now, and just to see everyone out already support and excited, it makes us excited.”
Despite everything that went on at the other three tables, there’s no question that Tyson Chandler was the man of the day. If you stood by his seat and saw 100 fans walk by, all 100 would say the same exact thing: We’re glad to have you back. He’d always nod, smile, and say thank you. Chandler has already voiced how excited he is to be back in town, but Fan Jam gave Mavs fans their first chance to say hello one-on-one. One fan, five-year season ticket holder Claudia Ramirez, said adding Chandler has given Dallas the ingredients it needs to make a run.
“We won a championship with him,” she said, “and now we got him back so we can get another.” After one afternoon, it seems like there’s not a person in Dallas who isn’t happy No. 6 will be a Maverick.
All in all, it was a relaxing way to end training camp for a team whose upcoming season is going to be anything but. The afternoon was smooth and easy — maybe for everyone except Mavs big man Greg Smith, who took an inadvertent shot to the face during the scrimmage that resulted in his front tooth chipping into multiple pieces. He was laughing about it afterward, which proves that athletes really are either really cool or really crazy. But after seeing them interact with fans for an hour before the game tipped off, I’m leaning toward the former.
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