Tobi Lawal

Lauren Wyatt

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The Superblock’s Glendale Park was the latest canvas for a Dallas Mavericks basketball court refurbishment.

On Thursday, the Mavs, JPMorganChase and Dallas community leaders gathered to cut the ribbon on the new court at the 63-acre park along Ledbetter Drive in Southern Dallas.

“Glendale Park is a unique park in our park system,” said Sean Johnson, deputy director of Dallas Park and Recreation. “It is literally split between two council districts. We have District 4, which is north of Ledbetter, and District 3, which is south of Ledbetter.

“In keeping with our theme of bringing communities together, this type of investment actually brings two different council districts together to provide an amenity that all residents will be able to enjoy.”

For JPMorganChase, which has more than 17,000 employees in Dallas-Fort Worth, the refurbishment is an investment in a community its employees call home.

“This is our home, so partnering with the Dallas Mavericks and doing this right here in Southern Dallas, in Oak Cliff, is so important to us because we believe it’s important to give back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Pauline Saunders, chief control officer at JPMorganChase.

Following the ribbon cutting, Mavericks legend Devin Harris and rookie Tobi Lawal helped put the court to use during a Mavs Academy basketball clinic with children from the surrounding neighborhoods.

Growing up in London, Lawal had more access to soccer facilities than basketball courts and didn’t start playing basketball until he was 16 years old. This court offers the kind of opportunity he wished he had.&nbsp;

“This court is tough – if I had this when I was younger, I might have started basketball earlier,” Lawal said. “I used to run around outside, maybe cause a little bit of trouble, but if I had a court, I’d have been doing this instead. It’s definitely a great place for the community to come together and for kids to play around.”

Beyond giving the community a place to play, the court offers kids an opportunity to develop skills they can carry into other parts of their lives.

“There’s a lot that you get to learn from just hanging out on a basketball court,” Saunders said. “How to create friendships, how to learn about teamwork, leadership, and a lot more.”

Improvements at Glendale Park won’t stop with this new court. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Maxie Johnson announced a $6.5 million investment from the City of Dallas at Thursday’s ceremony to build a new aquatic center at the park.

The new court and planned aquatic center will give neighborhood families more ways to get outside, stay active and spend time together.

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Mavs, JPMorganChase Refurbish Oak Cliff's Glendale Park Basketball Court 

Dwain Price

GRAPEVINE -- Tobi Lawal labels himself as “boring” and a person who likes to “chill” during his time away from the basketball court.

Yet, the Dallas Mavericks rookie was anything but boring and chilling on Friday while interacting and playing a few games with the kids during the Mavs Academy Hoop Camp at Grapevine Fieldhouse USA. Drafted 48th overall by the Mavs during last month’s NBA Draft, Lawal said he now just has a desire to find “ways to learn and understand how my game translates to the NBA game and what coaches want from me, how I can develop and how I can be a (good) defender.”

The 6-8 forward also said he wants to “go out there and play as hard as possible and just take everything in. Obviously, the more reps I get the better I get.”

The following is an in-depth interview session Lawal was able to conduct during his time at Grapevine Fieldhouse USA on Friday.

Question: You and Cooper Flagg both have a background in the state of Maine. Flagg was born there and is arguably the state’s most popular citizen, and you attended high school there. Ironically, y’all were only about 30 minutes apart, but you didn’t know who he was at the time. But you did play against Flagg two years ago when he was at Duke and you were at Virginia Tech. What do you remember about that game?

Lawal: "That was fun. Obviously, we lost by 20, which is freaking annoying. It was definitely a fun experience, especially because that was my first time playing at (Duke’s) Cameron Indoor Stadium. So just to see the atmosphere (was great), because their fans really support them. I played against (Flagg) in college and now I’m here. It just shows you that God works in mysterious ways. It’s definitely going to be fun to play with him."

Q: When you played against Flagg, did you see his talents just jump off the charts?

Lawal: "One hundred percent. Only because even as we're playing, everything just seemed so easy. He wasn’t sped up. His game was smooth. He would just get to his spots. You could tell the work he’s put in. You could tell he was a pro before he actually got to the NBA. It wasn’t hard to see how his game was going to translate to the next level. And you don’t see many number one picks that play hard in general, offensively and defensively. So you could just tell this was an easy transition and that whoever gets him is lucky."

Q: You’re out in the community today, so what’s your initial impression about Dallas and the kids at this basketball camp?

Lawal: "I love Dallas. I did pre-draft here a year-and-a-half ago, and I definitely fell in love with Dallas. Being drafted here is kind of crazy, because it’s like a full-circle moment. But the kids bring a lot of energy. This is fun. Just being around kids gives you so much energy, but it makes you feel old. I’m like 23 and the kids are like (ages) seven to 14."

Q: Growing up in London, what experiences did you have with the NBA. Are there players you grew up watching a lot?

Lawal: "I started playing basketball late. It wasn’t really a focus for me. I was really just playing football/soccer, running track and playing video games. The first team I ever watched were the (Toronto) Raptors."

Q: What is your relationship like with Mavs president and alternate governor, Masai Ujiri, who was the president of basketball operations when the Raptors captured the 2019 NBA championship?

Lawal: "The crazy thing is, in my workout when I first worked out before the draft, he was telling me (former Raptors forward) OG Anunoby is one of my comparisons. So, he was just telling me the type of work ethic he had. (Ujiri) understands and knows so much, especially just learning from guys like him, I have no doubt I can be that type of player. I feel like the coaching staff is great, the whole environment is great, Dallas is great, so it’s an easy place for me to grow, because growth is very important to me. This is the perfect place for me to be."

Q: Did you go to any camps like this as a kid?

Lawal: "No, which is crazy. I wish I had, though, because this is fun. Imagine me getting to meet someone that went to the NBA. That would be crazy to me."

Q: Since you were born in London, you were obviously rooting for England in the World Cup, which just ended on Sunday. It didn’t turn out too well for England, which lost to Argentina, 2-1, in the semifinals.

Lawal: "I was actually upset, because we scored a goal and then we started playing defensive. We weren’t attacking them. I’m like, ‘Bro, come on. They’re on their heels right now. This is the time to take the game.’ But at least we got third place (with a 6-4 win over France). We won something. And it was against France, so that’s good. The French don't really like some of us, but that’s OK."

Q: What did you think of Spain shutting out Argentina, 1-0, in the World Cup finals?

Lawal: "I wasn’t really surprised, because they didn’t go up against (England). If they went up against us it’s a different story. They have the best midfield in the whole world right now. They have a bunch of Barcelona players there."

Q: Was it surprising to you that in eight World Cup games, Spain only gave up one goal?

Lawal: "Their whole midfield is so good that the (goal) keeper was just back there chilling. They’re not going to get a chance to score. It was just like, how are you going to go up against that?"

Q: What did you learn about yourself in the summer league?

Lawal: "That I can really guard. I didn’t know how good I was defensively until just being around them and guarding from (centers) to (point guards). Just understanding and getting that information on what people’s tendencies are. Every single day I learned so much, and that’s amazing for me because I love to learn. I like improving. And just the game is so different. It’s a 24-second shot clock long. The game is so much faster. Sometimes I don’t know when guys are going to shoot or where the ball is going."

Q: What have you been doing since summer league ended last week?

Lawal: "I haven’t taken a real break in like a year. It sounds crazy, but I’ve just been trying to stay in the gym. As soon as summer league was over, I was really just focusing in on moving into my place, so I wasn’t really doing anything but that. The day before yesterday, I lifted, and yesterday I lifted. I don’t really do much, so I’m staying at home. Now I don’t have school, so I’ve got so much free time. I play basketball, so I was kind of bored. So, I was like let me end this break right now and just get back to work."

Q: Was the summer league experience in Las Vegas everything you thought it would be?

Lawal: "To some extent. I didn’t know Vegas was like that, because that was my first time going to Vegas. It was definitely a great experience. I’m really big on growth. If I can grow as a person, as a player and in my faith, that’s very good for me. I hate being stagnant. Just being able to experience NBA games, it’s a whole different game. From the structure to the way you have to play, everything is different. It was definitely a good experience for me to learn and adjust and get feedback from the coaches on what my type of role will be, and understand how I can be effective on the floor at the next level."

Q: Since this was your first time in Las Vegas, what do you think about the large hotels and nightlife in that city?

Lawal: "I don’t like Vegas, if I’m being serious. There’s too much going on for me. I’m very boring -- like slow. I’m chill. I didn’t like too much noise and too much bright lights in the casinos. Especially after a game I’m trying to just go back to my room and chill and relax and do recovery. I ate some good food. I love food."

Q: Did you get to get out and see The Wizard Of Oz inside the Sphere in Las Vegas?

Lawal: "I wish I could have gone to that, because I could see (the Sphere). I was like, ‘What is that?’ And that (Hard Rock Hotel) building that was shaped like a guitar, I was like, 'What is that?’ (Vegas is) just a weird place. It’s like it’s not real."

Q: What personal goals have you set for yourself for this upcoming season?

Lawal: "One goal I set for myself is to be the best on-ball defender in the NBA. Not just on the team. In the league. That’s a very hard one, I would say. I still have a lot to learn. But I feel like if I hold myself to a certain standard every day and the coaches hold me to a certain standard every day, I can definitely get there – 100 percent. I want to learn. And I feel like the coaching staff does a great job in pushing me, because they understand that I like being coached hard."

Q: Since you’re legendary for being able to jump extremely high and execute some breath-taking slam dunks, do you feel like -- with ample playing time to showcase your dunking abilities -- you may get a chance to be invited to participate in the slam dunk contest during NBA All-Star Weekend?

Lawal: "I have no idea about that. I don’t decide that. If they pick me, I’ll be grateful."

Q: What are your thoughts on LeBron James signing a free agent contract today with the Philadelphia 76ers?

Lawal: "That was a shock, to say the least. But if I’m being honest, I’m happy because finally he decided where he’s going, so now our schedule can be set. (Laughter). If I’m being honest, that’s the only thing I’m happy about with that. Really and truly, I just want to know what’s going on with my schedule. Obviously, it’s going to be great for him. Now (the Sixers) have not just a very good team, but a great team. We’ll see what happens. I can’t wait to play against them, too."

Q: Will the Sixers set an NBA single-season record and win 74 games this season and surpass the current record of 73 games won by the Golden State Warriors during the 2015-’16 season?

Lawal: "I can’t tell you that. This is my first year in the NBA. I can’t tell you nothing. I don’t know anything right now."

Q: Where do you see yourself fitting in with the Mavs as a rookie?

Lawal: "In whatever way I can help the team win and get on the floor and just soak everything in and be a sponge, because I know that I have a lot more great players around me that have way more experience. And not just in the NBA, but in basketball in general. So, I feel like I can learn a lot from the people that we have on the team. Not just on the court, but off the court as well. Just learning how life is in the NBA, learning how what they do from day-to-day and really just how to be a pro.

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Rookie forward Tobi Lawal anything but boring during appearance at Mavs Academy Hoop Camp

Twenty-five years after helping build one of Jubilee Park & Community Center's most-used gathering places, the Dallas Mavericks returned Friday to&nbsp;give the neighborhood basketball court a new life.

Presented by Sprite, the Mavs Foundation unveiled the renovated court featuring a new SportCourt playing surface, backboards and hoops, creating an updated space for neighborhood families to enjoy for years to come.

"It's about showing up," said Mavericks President Ethan Casson. "It's about showing up in communities like this that are doing incredible work with families and kids. To see our players and these kids out here on this brand-new court building memories – this is just one small part of the work that we'll continue to do."

For Jubilee Park, the renovation represents the continuation of a partnership that has spanned nearly three decades. The Mavericks first partnered with the organization in 2001 to build the original court, and Friday's renovation marked the latest chapter in a relationship that has continued to grow alongside the neighborhood it serves.

"The Mavericks and the Mavs Foundation have been critical partners of ours from the very beginning," said Jubilee Park & Community Center President and CEO Marissa Castro Mikoy. "We've been here almost 30 years, so that’s 30 years of partnership. That not only says a lot about the Mavs organization, but it says a lot to our community."

The dedication also included a surprise tribute to longtime Mavericks employee Billy Phillips, whose “BP33” logo was incorporated into the court design following his retirement after 33 seasons with the organization. Phillips helped bring dozens of community basketball courts to neighborhoods across North Texas during his career, making the recognition a fitting tribute to his decades of service.

Following the ribbon cutting, Mavericks rookies Morez Johnson Jr. and Tobi Lawal joined Mavs Academy coaches in leading a group of neighborhood kids through a series of basketball drills to officially break in the new court.

"This means a lot," Johnson said. "I'm glad the Mavericks invited me to be a part of this. I'm big on giving back to the community, especially where I’m from. It's only been a few weeks here in Dallas, and already I'm getting the chance to give back to these kids, help open this court and spend some time with them."

"Our kids see that they're important, they're valued and they're worth showing up for," said Castro Mikoy. "When they're cheering on the Dallas Mavs on TV, they're going to remember the basketball clinic they shared with these players on this court. I think that's incredibly powerful."

Learn more about the Dallas Mavericks' community impact efforts at Mavs.com/Community. 

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Mavericks Return to Jubilee Park 25 Years Later to Renovate Community Court

Eddie Sefko

As the Mavericks wrap up summer league, it’s time to look at what we saw and what we learned during the NBA’s biggest offseason event for players.

Remember, while rookies and other hopefuls to make an NBA, G League or foreign team in the coming season were playing in the Summer League, a lot of the league’s proven veterans were attending those games. And while they were in Las Vegas, they were holding some veteran workouts on their own.

It’s an NBA convention. Maybe not on par with All-Star Weekend, but a huge gathering of NBA executives, players, league representatives and agents.

So here’s our key takeaways from the extravaganza:

Change your Rez-ervations: If anybody had concerns about the Mavericks drafting Morez Johnson Jr., you can ditch any of those apprehensions.

The guy they simply call “Rez” had two impactful games to start the summer league, then shut it down the rest of the way. What’s interesting is that the Mavericks surprised a lot of people by drafting Johnson with the No. 9 pick last month.

Many thought they would take whoever was left from the five guards that were expected to go from picks five through nine. But rather than take the fifth of those players, they went with a strong big man who also has a feathery touch.

The 6-11 Johnson can step out to the perimeter if he gets the chance, but his biggest asset is around the rim, especially at the defensive end. He gets offended if people score on him. He tries to block every shot. Succeeds a lot of the time.

The early verdict is that Johnson is going to be a mainstay for the Mavericks, even as a rookie.

Who are the point guards? The play of Sergio De Larrea and Vsevolod Ishchenko should give Mavericks’ fans some level of comfort about who will play behind Kyrie Irving (and perhaps alongside him, at times).

De Larrea proved he can dish the ball with anybody. He has all the passes. If he has enough of the shots to go with those passes, he will be a steal with the 25th pick in June’s draft that they acquired from the LA Lakers.

Ishchenko probably is a bit more of a project, but he showed enough toughness (belying his boyish looks) to show that he can handle NBA physicality.

At the very least, coach Dusty May has options going into training camp at point guard.

What to do with the athleticism? The Mavericks already have Moussa Cisse on a two-way contract. But it’s hard to ignore what former Mesquite Poteet standout Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu brings to the table.

Kao, as he is called for obvious reasons, has been on the radar of general manager Mike Schmitz for years and he did enough in Las Vegas to earn a trip to training camp, unless he gets a better offer from another team.

He was the recipient of a handful of lob passes that he converted into rim-jarring dunks. His vertical leap is legendary, with the ability to touch the top of the backboard on a good day.

And then there’s Tobi Lawal, who was the 48th pick of the draft last month. Like Kao, he can leap with the best of them. He had several notable moments during the summer league.

Flagg looking the part: Cooper Flagg is the Mavericks’ superstar, and he looked fit on top of keeping a low profile. It’s almost like he’s sitting on a secret for the coming season.

We know all about the talent Flagg possesses. He was a worthy rookie of the year. Now, it’s a matter of what he brings in his second season.

The guess here is that he’ll be better at everything – especially with a stronger supporting group around him.

Looking ahead: The biggest unknown as the Mavericks set their sights on training camp in less than two months is Dereck Lively II.

The surgery to fix his foot was a success. But it was complicated enough that he still hasn’t done a lot of heavy work on the foot. The Mavericks are a different team when they have a healthy Lively. It’s going to be an important storyline for them heading into camp.

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Morez Johnson Jr. tops our takeaways from NBA Summer League

LAS VEGAS – Summer league play started very slow for the Dallas Mavericks. But they finished it with a bang.

After losing their first two games in Sin City to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs re-grouped and showed some promising signs while winning their final three games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks. Before players went their separate ways following Friday’s convincing 110-88 victory over the Knicks, the Mavs looked back with fond memories over the summer league’s 3-2 record.

“Our goal was to win, and I think we did it,” center Jorge Diaz Graham said. “We struggled a little bit at the start, but it was normal – it was our first games.

“I feel like once we knew each other a little better we just got so much better and we started having more fun. We just figured out each other, we started knowing who’s doing what and we just played our best basketball at the end.”

Rookie Morez Johnson Jr., the No. 9 overall pick in last month’s NBA Draft, only played the first two games and averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. That includes scoring 27 points, grabbing eight rebounds, making three steals and blocking two shots in the summer league opener against the Warriors.

Ryan Nembhard, undrafted in 2025, also played just the first two games and averaged 13.5 points and eight assists. That includes a 15-point, 11-assist game against the Warriors.

As the summer league progressed, the Mavs picked up steam and players like Sergio De Larrea, Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, John Poulakidas, Darin Green Jr., Vsevolod Ishchenko, Jaden Springer, Tyler Smith, Tobi Lawal and Graham stepped up their games with the increased amount of minutes that came their way.

De Larrea’s finest moment came when he collected nine rebounds and 14 assists during Thursday’s 97-87 win over the Thunder. He also finished with 16 points and 12 assists in the 96-88 win over the Grizzlies.

Both games represented a masterful playmaking performance by De Larrea, who displayed some exceptional passing skills and an uncanny feel for the game.

“I think the next step for him will probably be I think a lot of teams will be so scared of him playing in pick-and-roll against coverage that he’ll face a lot of more switching in the regular season and there will be opportunities for him to create one-on-one and to go finish at the rim and finish contested layups,” summer league coach Joe Boylan said. “I think that’s going to be the next step in his growth. Just the ability to break down his man and go in and finish contested layups.”

Akobundu-Ehiogu’s best game came when he used his amazing leaping abilities to turn five passes near the rim into picturesque alley-oop dunks. Meanwhile, Poulakidas scored 37 points and converted 10-of-19 three-pointers in the final two games against the Thunder and Knicks.

Also, Smith completely turned the game against the Knicks upside down when he nailed four three-pointers in a little over two minutes in the pivotal third quarter. Overall, he scored 21 points and was 6-of-12 from three-point land against the Knicks.

“Early on I didn’t play much,” Smith said. “You’ve got guys in this league that get paid a lot of money to come off the bench and knock down a few shots and come right back out the game. I showed coach that I can do that as well.

“Just showing coach that I can play at this level. Whether it happens or not, just showing him that I can compete at the highest level.”

When he was on the floor with De Larrea, Smith knew there would be more opportunities to get buckets since the rookie from Spain is a pass-first point guard.

“Playing with Sergio, he made it a lot easier on the court,” Smith said. “When you have 14 assists and nine rebounds, there’s not many rebounds out there for me to get when the point guard is out there getting (nine) of them.

“But like we say, we want to play fast. And 14 assists kind of helps me out as well.”

Boylan was particularly pleased with the 6-11 twins – Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham.

“I think their ability to shoot, dribble, pass, bring length to the defensive end, block shots, shrink the court, their personality, their character, how they cheer for their teammates, those are guys you want to have around,” Boylan said. “I’m so happy that they’re around and that they’re in the program right now. I think those guys have major potential.”

Jorge was especially pleased with what he was able to show the Mavs’ coaches. After scoring just three points and playing only 13 minutes in the first two games, he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and two steals against Memphis, and 15 points, 12 boards and five against the Knicks.

“I was not expecting anything that happened this week,” Jorge said. “I appreciate the Dallas Mavericks and the entire coaching staff for supporting me and giving me the confidence to go out there and play my basketball, which is what I did.

“So, I’m super happy with what I did and I’m super grateful.”

The Mavs as a whole are also super happy they were able to end summer league play with a three-game winning streak.

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Mavs start slow, but ended summer league play on a roll

Gabe Flores

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Joe Boylan & Tobi Lawal | Summer League Media Availability vs LAL | 7/11/26

00:00 Joe Boylan 07:38 John Poulakidas 13:51 Tobi Lawal 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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Joe Boylan, John Poulakidas, & Tobi Lawal Media Availability | 7/7/26

Dallas Mavericks

The 23-year-old forward was drafted 48th overall

DALLAS (July 3, 2026) – The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have signed rookie Tobi Lawal to a Two-Way contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Lawal (6-9, 213) was selected by Dallas in the second round (48th overall pick) of the 2026 NBA Draft after finishing his college career at Virginia Tech. As a senior for the Hokies in 2025-26, he averaged 12.3 points (.542 FG%, .763 FT%), 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in 23 games (17 starts).

The London native will play for the Mavericks’ 2026 NBA Summer League team.