DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - After 11 years of service over two separate tenures, the Dallas Mavericks officially said goodbye to veteran point guard J.J. Barea in an emotional press conference.
Barea was waived by the team shortly after the presser, finalizing the roster move, and putting the Mavs at legal roster limit.
“It’s a tough day. It still hasn’t hit me," Barea said. "But I woke up today super happy. It’s been an amazing time here in Dallas. I wouldn’t change anything. The messages and all the DMs and Twitter from the fans in Dallas has been amazing.
Speaking of twitter, there was a flurry of messages to J.J. throughout the day, including from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who has known and worked with Barea for nearly a 15 years.
Barea, first came to the Mavericks in August of 2006, and was an integral part of the team's success over the following few seasons, culminating in the 2011 championship run.
Barea of course, played a massive role in the 2011 playoffs, proving to be an irreplaceable role off of the bench, most significantly in the series sweep against the Los Angeles Lakers, and becoming both a fan, and an organizational favorite all at once.
"Other than Dirk, I don't think anybody loved to play for the Mavericks more than me," Barea said on Thursday. "I'll give the first place to Dirk, but nobody loved to put on that uniform and play for the Mavericks more than me."
Following that season, Barea was an unrestricted free agent, and after the 2011 lockout interfered with his free agency pursuits, he accepted a four-year $19 million dollar contract offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves in December of 2011.
Barea, however, would eventually return to Dallas, where he would prove to be an invaluable asset, not just on the court, but in the locker room as well, becoming a major factor in the early days development of current Mavs super star Luka Doncic.
"The way they treated me from day one... this city saw me as a kid, saw me grow up with a family now, kids, wife... everywhere we go here is special," Barea continued. "It has been amazing. But today is tough. It’s the end of me as a player in Dallas. But nothing but good memories.”
Barea now leaves behind a legacy that few other Mavericks players, outside of perhaps Dirk Nowitzki, can aspire to. Though, his playing career is not necessarily done yet, as the 36-year-old hopes to catch on with another NBA team, and compete for one more NBA title, before hanging it up.
You can view the full press conference with Barea above.