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Augsburg alum Devean George re-signs with NBA's Dallas Mavericks
STORIES ON DEVEAN'S DEAL WITH THE MAVERICKS: DALLAS (7/11/07) -- Augsburg College alum Devean George '99 will rejoin the NBA's Dallas Mavericks after agreeing to a one-year deal with the club, according to media reports on Monday. George and the Mavericks signed the deal on Thursday (7/12), a day after NBA teams could officially sign agreements. George's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told media outlets on Monday that the deal is for approximately $2.5 million. George opted out of the second year of a deal signed last season, when he joined the Mavericks after spending his first seven pro seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. By signing a one-year deal, George will qualify for "early Bird rights" after the 2007-08 season, which would enable the Mavericks to re-sign him without suffering salary cap restrictions, according to media reports. Despite battling a knee injury in the second half of the season, the 6-8, 235-pound forward played in 60 regular-season games with the Mavericks (starting 17), averaging 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in playing 21.4 minutes per game. In his eight-season career (489 games, 83 starts), George is averaging 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists in playing 19.2 minutes per game. The Mavericks finished the 2006-07 regular season with a 67-15 record, the fifth-most victories in a single season in NBA history. But the top-seeded Mavericks were bounced from the NBA playoffs in the first round by the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors. In 1999, the Minneapolis native (Benilde-St. Margaret HS) became the first Division III player ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, when the Los Angeles Lakers made him the 23rd overall selection. He became one of only seven players in NBA history to be a member of championship squads in each of his first three seasons in the league, as his Lakers squads won three straight titles (2000-02). George's college jersey number, 40, was retired by Augsburg in 2003. He wore No. 3 while with the Lakers, but returned to his old college number when he joined the Mavericks.
He finished his college career with 2,258 career points and 868 career rebounds, both second in school history. While playing in just 96 career games, he fell only 13 points short of the school's scoring record, held by Brian Ammann (1981-85), of 2,271 in 106 games (21.4 per game). George finished his career with a 23.5 points-per-game average, best in school history. Dan Anderson (1961-65) holds the school's career rebounding record with 1,211 (11.5 per game). George finished his career with a 9.0 rebounds-per-game average. As a pro, he was a member of Lakers teams that won NBA titles in 1999-2000 (4-2 over Indiana), 2000-01 (4-1 over Philadelphia) and 2001-02 (4-0 over New Jersey). The Lakers also appeared in the NBA Finals in 2003-04, falling in five games to Detroit. His playing time increased throughout his career, from being a role player off the bench in his early years to playing in all 82 games and starting 48 (including 19 starts in 22 playoff games) in the 2003-04 season. He struggled with injuries in the 2004-05 season before returning to a role as a key reserve in the 2005-06 season. To return to Augsburg Men's Basketball, click here To return to Augsburg Athletics, click here Augsburg College, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. This is
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In his career at Augsburg, George led the Auggies to two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championships and berths in the NCAA Division III national playoffs (1997-98 and 1998-99), earning conference MVP honors both times. He earned multiple Division III All-American honors his senior season.