Mavs Ex Fan Favorite Signs with Shanghai Sharks
According to Dario Skerletic of Sportando, former Dallas Mavericks fan favorite Yogi Ferrell is continuing his professional basketball career in China next season, as he recently signed a contract with the Shanghai Sharks.
Ferrell, who took the NBA by storm in 2017 when he dropped 32 points on the Portland Trail Blazers in what was just his fourth game with the Mavs, hasn't been in the league since the 2020-21 season. He played only eight games with the Los Angeles Clippers that year.
Since then, Ferrell has played for a few European squads, including Panathinaikos and, most recently from last season, Cedevita Olimpija, where he ended up winning the Most Valuable Player award in the Slovenian Basketball League Finals.
Although Ferrell will be fondly remembered for his short stretch of play with the Mavs that made him seems like a lightning-in-a-bottle star, his departure from Dallas was odd, to say the least. In the summer of 2018, it was initially reported that the Mavs and Ferrell had agreed to a two-year, $5.3 million deal. However, Ferrell and his agent "changed course" and ultimately ended up taking a deal with the Sacramento Kings instead.
In 118 career games played for the Mavs, Ferrell averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 assists – his best marks in any of his NBA stops – while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from deep.
The Mavs were in the final years of Dirk Nowitzki's career during Yogi-Mania, but it was also before the arrival of Luka Doncic. Dallas lacked a clear sense of direction with its roster building back then, but it appears to be back on track in a big way heading into the 2023-24 season with added defense and depth around Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter. SUBSCRIBE to Mavs Step Back on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.
