Mavericks Give Video Tribute in Former Fan-Favorite's First Game Back With Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, and all of the headlines revolved around Luka Doncic returning to Dallas, which makes sense. He continues to love the city of Dallas, and he's the biggest star of the most shocking trade in NBA history. But he wasn't the only former Maverick back in Dallas on Saturday.

Maxi Kleber was included in that trade with the Lakers to help make the salaries match, but he ended up missing the initial return to Dallas due to an injury that occurred while he was still a Maverick. He didn't play in this game either, but he was at least in the building to watch as the Mavericks played him a video tribute at the end of the first quarter, which included a few big shots against his new team.

Welcome back, Maxi ☎️ 🫶@MaxiKleber // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/lOL9HGk5Gf
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 25, 2026

Kleber spent 7 and a half years in Dallas, quickly becoming a fan favorite since he was from the same hometown as the best player in franchise history, Dirk Nowitzki. The Wurzburg, Germany, native was a floor-spacing big man who could defend multiple positions, and that made him an extremely valuable player. He signed a three-year, $33 million extension with the Mavericks, but that contract quickly became overpriced, as Kleber couldn't stay healthy.

After playing 70+ games in each of his first three seasons, Kleber has yet to play more than 60 games in a season since. From the start of the 2022-23 season to the end of last season, Kleber had only played in 114 of a possible 246 games, which is nowhere near enough for a player making $11 million per year. He's in the last year of that deal, and it would be surprising if he's able to latch on with another team. He'll be 34 years old on Thursday, he's not as versatile defensively as he used to be, and his three-point shooting, the one thing that made him stand out, has disappeared. He's shot under 30% from three in each of the last two seasons.

If this is the last ride for Maxi Kleber, he deserves to retire as a Maverick, even if it's just a one-day contract. He got to play on the same team as his hometown hero, chose a jersey number right next to Nowitzki, and now wears the reverse of it with the Lakers.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2025-26 season

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

Atlanta Hawks have 'explored' path to trade for Mavericks' Anthony Davis

Rich Paul wants 'clarity' from Mavericks about plans for Anthony Davis

Mavericks announce season-ending news for rising young player

3 overreactions as Cooper Flagg's brilliance leads Mavericks to win over Nuggets