Dallas Mavericks Announce New Chinese Name
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - After nearly two decades of the name "Mavericks" being translated into Chinese as "Little Cows," the Dallas Mavericks have selected a new Chinese team name with much help from Chinese basketball fans, according to a team news release Wednesday night.
The official Chinese name of the Mavericks has been changed to 独行侠 (DúXíngXiá), which translates roughly in English to "Lone Ranger Heroes."
The search for the Mavs' new Chinese name began on September 10, 2017 with an announcement from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban posted a video on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) asking Chinese-speaking fans to submit their ideas for a better translation for the word "Mavericks."
The Mavericks worked closely with Chinese media platform Tencent Sports to ensure this request reached as many Chinese NBA fans as possible.
Two weeks later, the Mavs had received more than 50,000 comments from fans suggesting new monikers.
From those submissions, the Mavericks selected the top three names as finalists -- 独行侠 ("Lone Ranger Heroes"), 烈驹 ("Fierce Colts") and 狂马 ("Wild Horses") -- setting the stage for fans across China to vote for their favorite.
One month and more than 100,000 votes later, the fans have chosen. Announced at halftime during tonight's live online broadcast in China, the Mavericks will now be known as 达拉斯独行侠 ("Dallas Lone Ranger Heroes") in all Chinese-speaking regions of the world.
"This is the beginning of a new chapter in the Mavericks' long legacy in China," said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. "With this Chinese name change, we've made history by giving our Chinese-speaking fans the opportunity to redefine our identity. I think that fans will be proud of this new name."
The Mavericks became the first NBA team to sign a Chinese-born player with the drafting of center Wang Zhizhi in 1999.