community

Gabe Flores

Nearly 200 Dallas Mavericks employees traded their computers for hammers and paintbrushes on Monday afternoon, rolling up their sleeves to support Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity as part of the team’s 6th Annual All-Staff Day of Service. The event marked an impactful start to the 2025-26 season, as staff joined CEO Rick Welts and President Ethan Casson, along with new two-way signees Miles Kelly and Ryan Nembhard, in giving back to the community. Together, the group contributed almost 600 combined volunteer hours, spreading out across Habitat’s massive facility on the western edge of Dallas to assemble walls for future homes, paint playhouses and fences, build furniture, and organize the ReStore. Full story: https://www.nba.com/mavs/2025-day-of-... DALLAS MAVERICKS on Social Media: ► Follow us X: / dallasmavs ► Like us Facebook: / dallasmavs ► Follow us Instagram: / dallasmavs ► Follow us TikTok: / dallasmavs For more updates check us out on Mavs.com: https://www.mavs.com

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Mavs Care | Mavs All Staff Day of Service

Tamara Jolee

Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith, a jubilant and optimistic person by nature, was noticeably more reserved and mellow on Monday afternoon. Times are tough for families, he said, and the coronavirus pandemic has led to an unusually high demand for food.

The fifth-year veteran had just spent the day with his family giving away hundreds of free turkeys to families in his hometown of Portsmouth, Va., and neighboring Norfolk.

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The annual Finney Family First Foundation turkey giveaway is usually a festive affair, Finney-Smith said. But what he witnessed this year was a sucker punch to the reality of life for so many people amid the global pandemic and economic hardships.

“It was great to see all the people, but it was also really, really sad,” Finney-Smith said. “First of all, everyone had to stay in their cars and we couldn’t hug or anything. Then, another reality hit because the cars kept coming and we ran out of food. So many people need food right now. They are hurting.”

Last year, Finney-Smith remained in Dallas to dish out turkeys with the Mavericks at Buckner International, while his mother and brother stayed in Virginia to host the turkey giveaway. He said they usually have so much food left over that everyone gets extra, but that wasn’t the case at all this year. The need was simply too great.

“We had more cars than ever and we ran out of food,” Finney-Smith said. “We tried to prepare and get more than usual, but we still ran out of turkeys and had to turn people away. That was hard, really hard. We did our best…but there’s just a great need out there right now.”

A big part of Finney-Smith’s story is that he never wanted his professional basketball status to disconnect him from the streets. After all, it was the people in Portsmouth that helped sculpt him into the leader he is today, and he desires to give children and families the same fighting chance.

Finney-Smith’s mother, Desiree Finney-Henderson, raised six children all alone and worked tirelessly to give her kids the best life possible. However, it wasn’t always easy, and for this reason, Finney-Smith has a deep desire to help others, especially right now.

Back in June, Finney-Smith quietly made a charitable donation to the Portsmouth Food Service Program to feed 200 families, specifically children who normally receive meals from school services.

“Growing up and seeing my mom, I know how it feels,” Finney-Smith said in an interview this past summer. “We got lunch free going to school. Sometimes you had to rely on that. I know some kids don’t get it and we wanted to help them. Everybody isn’t blessed, so sometimes you got to be a blessing.”

Mark Palamarchuck, director of parks, recreation and leisure services for the City of Portsmouth, said Finney-Smith’s donation fed thousands of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That is why we were so thankful when we were approached by Dorian’s very generous offer of a donation to assist us with these efforts,” Palamarchuck said. “That means 800 to 1,000 people are not going to have to worry about where their next meal comes from for a few days. It means a lot to those families, and it means a lot to us.”

The Finney Family First Foundation aims to inspire youth to become productive members of society by providing service to the community.

Each summer, Finney-Smith and his family typically hosts camps in Virginia and clinics in Dallas, but the coronavirus prevented that from happening this year. Instead, the family came together and set up a drive-through food distribution event at Norcom High School — the high school where Dorian once starred at — and gave away groceries, socks, toiletries, books and dog food to families.

The flyer for the event outlined just how important Finney-Smith is to the community there: “the event will be sponsored by Portsmouth’s native son, Dorian Finney-Smith.”

“I have so much love for the city that raised me,” Finney-Smith said.

It’s the same kind of love he has for the game of basketball, which he credits for simply giving him a platform to give back and help other families. This week is the final time he will be in Virginia before returning to Dallas to prepare for the new upcoming basketball season.

Finney-Smith said the quick turnaround will be tough, but he’s ready for what’s ahead.

“I already had stuff going on with my hips, so I just got to get back healthy and get back in shape and try to be back as healthy as I can,” Finney-Smith said. “But after seeing what people are dealing with in life, I approach basketball just like it’s a blessing. It’s a job and one that I care about. I’m mentally in a good place and I’m just doing my best to stay in shape and keep working on my game.”

Finney-Smith, better known as Doe Doe to his family and teammates, said he spent the off-season staying at home and “just kicking it with the kids.” There was no traveling or anything this year because of the coronavirus, so he chose to spend the time family, including his daughter and son. The highlight of his off-season was “going out to a couple of restaurants,” and that was about it.

Lately, however, Finney-Smith has been trying to focus on what might be a grueling season that’s less that a month away with an entire new roster of new players.

“I played Josh (Richardson) in college, so we have been playing each other for awhile,” said Finney-Smith, who is also undergoing his COVID-19 testing protocol right now to prepare for the season. “I don’t know James Johnson personally, but I know him from playing against him. He plays my position, so I guarded him. The NBA community is a small world, so we are all connected in some way. I am excited for our team and what’s ahead.”

However, Finney-Smith said there will be plenty of time to talk about basketball with training camp right around the corner. For now, he’s looking forward to spending his first Thanksgiving in a long time back at home.

“I’m really excited to be back home,” Finney-Smith said. “We are usually in season right now, so I’m just going to enjoy time with my family and do my very best to help others along the way.

He said the bright lights and big stage will never change him.

“I don’t do any of this for recognition or applause. It’s not about me. It’s all about them. It’s about the people. It’s about the kids. I go out and work hard and compete just so that I can come back and do my best to help the people. That’s what it’s about. That’s the bigger picture here.”

Story: Tamara Jolee, Dallas Mavericks 
Photos: Courtesy of Finney Family First Foundation 

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Hope For His Hometown: Mavs’ Finney-Smith donates hundreds of turkeys, prepares for upcoming season

Dallas Mavericks veteran shooting guard Seth Curry had an extra pep in his step Tuesday night as he virtually visited with members of the Mavs and Chime family for a pregame mixer ahead of CoachArt’s Salute to Coaches gala. The event coincided with “National Coaches Day” and honored volunteer coaches who dedicate their talents and time to improve the lives of children impacted by chronic illness.

“I wish we could do this event in person, but we’ll take Zoom for now,” Chime CEO and co-founder Chris Britt said as he opened the event with his wife. “We have been involved with CoachArt for over a decade now and it’s something very important to us and our family. I want to celebrate what’s been an important year for our organization and thank the Mavs for stepping up as a major sponsor for the event. We couldn’t be prouder to have you guys as our partner.”

The Dallas Mavericks joined Chime, the official jersey patch sponsor of the franchise, to sponsor CoachArt’s Salute to Coaches Gala because the two organizations agreed to be a positive force in the community when they inked a multi-year partnership last January.

Now, the Mavs and Chime will serve as frontrunners to establish CoachArt in Dallas to get the ball rolling, literally, in hopes of impacting thousands of area families here.

Britt joined CoachArt a decade ago and attends programs regularly with his family. In 2019, the organization honored him as the Heart and Humanity Champion for impacting the lives of countless children and their siblings suffering from chronic illness.

“Chris Britt exemplifies the vision, dedication, and compassion of our board members,” said Greg Harrell-Edge, executive director of CoachArt and a walk-on member of the basketball team at the University of Virginia. “Our community is grateful to him for all he’s done to build CoachArt’s presence and advance our mission.”

Chime was co-founded by Britt in 2013 and over the years, his dream has evolved into the leading digital banking app in the United States that’s now worth an astounding $14.5 billion dollars. Just last month, CNBC announced that Chime is now the most valuable American fintech start-up serving retail consumers. In fact, Chime is worth almost 900% more than just 18 months ago and has doubled its valuation from December.

The Mavs and Chime share a deep commitment to community with a desire to impact the lives of people at the grassroots level in hopes of cultivating sustainable change. The Seth Curry Foundation has been involved in several charity and outreach initiatives backed by the Mavs and Chime, including the Venture — Entrepreneurial Expedition program.

“Every time I’ve worked with the Mavs and Chime, it’s a first-class experience for me and my foundation,” Curry said. “The Venture – Entrepreneurial Expedition program is a chance for me to teach students about starting a business and putting the plan in action. To see the excitement in the kids’ eyes and see the work they put in is meaningful and special. I always want to show support in the community that I play in and show my face to the youth. Living here in Dallas has been the easiest and best situation for me and my foundation, and I hope to do more and more in the community.”

After returning home from the NBA bubble, Curry said he’s been able to process and reflect on the experience and truly feels honored that he was able to experience life in Orlando during a unique period in sports history.

“We were just so thankful for the NBA to make it possible again for us to play games and it was really exciting,” Curry explained. “We had a goal and it was fun to be around each in the bubble and stepping into an entire new environment and essentially making sports history during a time period we will likely never see again. It’s something I’ll get to talk about for the rest of my life. We were able to give the whole country entertainment and something to watch and, hopefully, something positive for our fans to enjoy.”

Dallas Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall thanked Curry for his commitment to the Mavs and the North Texas community and announced that the franchise is thrilled to work with Chime to bring CoachArt to the North Texas region. She also thanked Chime for including the Mavericks’ franchise in so many different outreach programs.

“This partnership has been absolutely amazing,” Marshall said during the Zoom call. “The culture with Chime is just special.”

Marshall also noted how Chime continually steps up to answer the call and played a massive role in North Texas when the coronavirus shut down the NBA last March.

“When the COVID-19 situation arrived it caused economic hardships for our arena workers and their families because their source of income vanished in an instant,” Marshall said. “Chime was the first one to step in and support the fund to help these workers. Then later, Chime stepped in to support a free-throw campaign that raised over $100,000 for eight different local charities. We are just doing some amazing stuff together and we just love Chime and everything they stand for. They are amazing.”

CoachArt’s Mission In Dallas More Important Than Ever
CoachArt offers free art and athletic lessons for chronically-ill children and their siblings between the ages of 5-18 with programs currently offered in Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. Dallas will soon be home to the fourth CoachArt location and the first city outside the state of California.

The arrival of the CoachArt Ambassador Chapter program in the North Region comes at the perfect time because of the way COVID-19 has drastically shifted the world and the way people are reached. Leaders with the Mavs and Chime will work fast to build a strong presence in the area from the ground up, reaching all families that could benefit from the platform. Furthermore, the Mavericks will encourage players, coaches and the company’s over 200 employees to sign-up as volunteer coaches and use their unique skillsets in various areas to touch the lives of so many children and families in need.

With a few hours each week, CoachArt volunteers drive incredible impact in the connection, support, and joy they deliver to children and families in need.

The foundation is backed by volunteers (note: like you, our great fans!) that have an artistic or athletic hobby, and the coaches are matched with children and their siblings that often feel isolated because of their condition. Frequent hospital visits and deficient immune systems often cause them to miss time in school and also miss recreational activities.

Families overwhelmed by the cost and demands of ongoing medical care often lack the resources to seek out or afford extracurricular activities. Healthy siblings are affected too when family resources are focused on a chronically ill child. CoachArt supports these families by offering free recreational lessons that bring a sense of normalcy back to their lives.

Curry, Marshall Recognize Personal Coaching Influences In Their Lives
Before the CoachArt pre-game virtual mixer ended Tuesday, Marshall, along with Curry and other executives, saluted their coaching heroes and the mentors that propelled them into purpose.

Curry immediately acknowledged the guidance of coaching mentors he’s played for in the past and present, including Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, Portland coach Terry Stotts and coaching legend George Karl.

However, Curry said the person that stands above the rest and played the biggest role in his life is legendary high school coach Shonn Brown, who has served as a guide and mentor to students at Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina for nearly 20 years. Curry said coach Brown was instrumental to his success because he preached humility in both his words and his actions.

“It’s funny because he’s the first coach that actually cut me from a team,” Curry shared, as he explained how growing up he was always the best player on his youth teams and expected to just vault straight to varsity when he reached high school.

“As a freshman, he didn’t put me on the varsity — he put me on the JV and it really taught me about earning your spot and not having anything handed to you,” Curry said. “It’s a great lesson because that was a pivotal moment in my life and would eventually push me to work harder and harder and get better. It woke me up to realize the importance of working for what you believe in, and that lesson, even as a freshman, was important. Coach Brown and I still have a great relationship today and he taught me so many great lessons on and off the floor. He was the most influential coach in my life.”

Meanwhile, Marshall, the first black female CEO to lead a NBA team, echoed Curry’s experience and shared how her former AAU track coach also taught humility and patience, and she explained how his tough lessons actually set a foundation that she would lean on for decades.

“My coach is Johnny Holmes, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and he was my track coach from about age seven to 17,” Marshall joyfully shared. “What I loved about him is every offseason he would put these ankle weights on us and make us run these hills in Point Richmond, California. At the time I thought it was actually really cruel. But he would say nope, and then he’d encourage us to keep moving.”

Marshall, a cancer survivor and mother of four adopted children, said during those taxing runs in the hills, Holmes would share the importance of running with weights strapped to their legs. She says it’s the same valuable message she hopes to someday share with the children and families that she meets with CoachArt when the foundation officially launches in Dallas.

Coach Holmes told her: “If you can get through life with ankle weights on, just imagine what will happen when the weights are off. You can really, really fly.”

To learn more about the remarkable work and mission behind CoachArt, click here. For Mavs fans who want to serve as frontrunners and ambassadors with the CoachArt ambassador program in North Texas, check back soon to find out more ways to help!

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Mavs’ Seth Curry and Chime Salute Coaching Heroes at CoachArt Event

DALLAS – When 2020 gives you lemons, find a new way to make some ice cold lemonade.

That’s the motto for hundreds of North Texas children who have been squeezed from their traditional summer lemonade stands by the novel coronavirus and encouraged to get extra creative during the current times. Leaders with a local organization called Lemonade Day Greater Dallas say the pandemic has sparked a new wave of creativity and brought these young entrepreneurs’ unique innovations to the forefront.

Last week, the Dallas Mavericks, Mavs Foundation and jersey patch sponsor Chime announced a new initiative ‘Chime in for a Cause’ with a goal to boost funds for eight local organizations during the final eight regular season games. For every Mavs’ free throw made, the Mavs and Chime pitch in $500 directly to the charities.

Lemonade Day Greater Dallas served as the beneficiary for today’s Dallas overtime victory against the Sacramento Kings and the Mavs set a new season-best record with 39 made free throws. This means that Lemonade Day Greater Dallas will receive a donation of $19,500 with an opportunity to earn even more funds thanks to MFFLs who donate online.

Tiffany Rubi, executive director at Lemonade Day Greater Dallas said she was excited to learn that the Mavs Foundation selected them to earn donations for the ‘Chime in for a Cause’ program and it was a moment the organization has long dreamed about.

“Just for others to hear about Lemonade Day is a gift,” Rubi shared, “but to also receive donations and to know how much it will impact children is extra special.”

Katie Edwards, Dallas Mavericks senior vice president of external affairs and Mavs Foundation president said Lemonade Day Greater Dallas is a tremendous organization that has long been on the Mavs Foundation radar. Edwards, along with leaders at Chime, said they are ecstatic to highlight Lemonade Day Greater Dallas because they value the foundation’s commitment to financial literacy programs for youth.

“I love how Lemonade Day Greater Dallas allows children to create businesses that gives them tangible achievements along the way,” Edwards shared. “Right now, I think our children and youth need small victories more than ever and Lemonade Day does a great job of fostering opportunities for kids. The programs are designed to boost confidence and teach financial literacy programs in a fun and uplifting way.  We all need something like that right now!”

The Boys and Girls Club of Dallas earned a $14,000 check after the Mavs’ overtime thriller against the Houston Rockets where Dallas made 28 free throws. Dallas attempted an astounding 38 free throws in the game for what could have created an extra $5K for the organization, but thankfully MFFLs stepped up to the challenge and donated thousands of dollars that will be distributed evenly across all eight organizations at the conclusion of the NBA restart regular season.

Sunday’s loss against the Suns netted $16,500 for Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas when the Mavs drained 33 free throws and Lemonade Day Greater Dallas is slotted for today’s afternoon contest against the Kings.

“Our hope is that parents will hear about the program today during the Dallas Mavericks game,” Rubi shared, “and then sign up their children for the free online program and work with their children on their own business ideas.”

She said the mission is to have kids outside setting up their own lemonade stands, but the pandemic has created new and challenging times.

“Generally our program is offered in the spring right when the pandemic hit,” she added, “so it eliminated many of the after-school programs that created great environments for children to create lemonade stand business ideas, marketing plans and other skill sets and then put those plans into action.”

However, Rubi said, children persevered and came up with other great ideas using their parent’s social media platforms to take orders and then deliver the lemonade to customers.

The organization now hopes for a Mavs victory — and lots of made free throws, all in the name of lemon-love.

“I was thrilled to learn that the (Mavs Foundation) selected Lemonade Day Greater Dallas to benefit,” Rubi enthusiastically shared. “It’s such a great opportunity for us to be heard, so our hope is that people will hear about it and check out our organization, and continue our work and help inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

Lemonade Day is a free educational initiative that introduces youth to entrepreneurship, teaching them how to start, own, and operate their own business – a lemonade stand. The organization teaches skills that prepare youth for life through fun, proactive and experiential programs infused with life skills, character education and entrepreneurship. The organization believes the mission helps build self-esteem and new mindsets that can propel youth to success.

The Mavs Foundation selected Lemonade Day Dallas because teaching young people about entrepreneurship is a solution to teach financial literacy, which can battle poverty rates and unemployment. Young people learn how to create a business from a young age and many of these brilliant minds go on to create small businesses in other capacities for their communities.

Studies show that more than 40 million new jobs were created by small businesses over the past 15 years. That’s two out of three jobs that were created by start-up companies.

Money raised and donated by fans will make a direct impact to foster programs like Lemonade Day Greater Dallas, along with all eight of the North Texas organizations selected by the Mavs Foundation. In fact, for as  little as $20 pledged, MFFLs will be entered into a sweepstakes full of cool prizes. (For full list of rules, click here.)

“We have a longstanding history of making a difference for others and this initiative is just another big way the Mavs organization is stepping up,” said Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall.  “Get ready, I’m hoping for really big checks for these amazing non-profits.”

And for parents at home, mark your calendars because August 20 is National Lemonade Day and leaders across North America are encouraging kids to host a lemonade stand their way – either virtually or in person – while practicing social distancing and adhering to other health and safety guidelines outlined by individual communities and the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

Lemonade Day has developed the Lemonade Day My Way promotion to demonstrate that challenges can produce opportunities for innovation, change and growth. Kids in Dallas can register to participate here and also find the Lemonopolis online lesson program from any device. Participants are eligible to enter contests to win new bicycles and prizes for starting a future business.

Rubi said folks with Lemonade Day Greater Dallas will be watching the game intently this afternoon and said the money raised will make a direct impact for the organization through various avenues. Most of all, she hopes that fans will hear about the organization and plant a seed of hope for parents and children alike.

“It’s free, it’s open to any child and it benefits any child during the new pandemic environment,” Rubi said. “We are just so thankful to be selected by the Mavericks and can’t wait to watch the game.”

RESOURCES FOR PARENTS, FAMILIES AND MFFLs: 

What is Lemonade Day Dallas? Why let me introduce you to one of the neatest (and FREE, holla!) programs on the planet for area youth! Lemonade Day is an educational initiative that introduces youth to entrepreneurship, teaching them how to start, own, and operate their own business — a lemonade stand. Click here to learn more! 

This sounds AMAZING. How can I donate to this organization? So glad you asked! MFFLs can visit Mavs.com/ChimeIn to donate now. After the eight regular seasons games are over, the Mavs Foundation and Chime will evenly distribute the donations across all eight organizations. But, wait there’s more! If you donate $20 or more, you’ll be entered to win one of the many prizes including a signed Equality jersey, a signed team ball and one of the 100 Equality jerseys in the player and size of your choice!

My kids are ready to put their skills to the test and create their own Lemonade Day business. How much does it cost and where can I access resources? Lemonopolis is free. Repeat: absolutely free (ohhhh yeahhhh!) To get started, visit this super-cool lemonade link. 

Can you share the eight organizations selected by the Mavs Foundation and Chime to benefit from the cause?
Sure thing! Here’s the line-up: Boys and Girls Club of Dallas, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, Lemonade Day Greater Dallas, Education Opens Doors, Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, Promise House, Project Unity and WiNGS. Among many other efforts, money donated through the initiative will provide support towards financial education, business skill building, breaking the cycle of poverty and addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

How many free throws did the Mavs make through the first three games of the NBA restart?

Dal vs. Sacramento | 39 makes | $19,500| Organization: Lemonade Day Greater Dallas

Dal. vs. Phoenix | 33 makes | $16,500 | Organization: Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas

Dal. vs. Houston | 28 makes | $14,000 | Organization: Boys and Girls Club of Dallas

Anything else? Actually, we have two more things to add. No. 1, make sure to sure get really loud and proud today and wake up your entire neighborhood during their afternoon naps (the Mavs and Kings tip-off at 1:30 p.m CT on FSSW).

And No. 2, we are so thankful for our wonderful partnership with the Chime, the fastest growing challenger bank in the world. Think about their business philosophy: No overdraft fees. No minimum balance requirements. No monthly service fees. No foreign transaction fees. No transfer fees. Nada. It’s banking that has your back. And even better, Chime is all about family and their employees absolutely love giving back to the North Texas community. It’s a win-win for everyone, so head over to Chime.com and learn more about this outstanding business and our proud jersey patch sponsor.

@Tamara Jolee, Dallas Mavericks Community Reporter

community

Mavs Care | Mavs All Staff Day of Service

Hope For His Hometown: Mavs’ Finney-Smith donates hundreds of turkeys, prepares for upcoming season

Mavs’ Seth Curry and Chime Salute Coaching Heroes at CoachArt Event

Sweet Success! Lemonade Day Dallas earns $19.5K after Mavs make a season-best 39 free throws