Mark Aguirre
From Hoopedia
Mark Aguirre (born December 10, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American NBA player.
A college standout at DePaul, he averaged 24.5 points over three seasons with the Blue Demons, and in 1981 was The Sporting News College Player of the Year. He also was the USBWA College Player of the Year and James Naismith Award winner in 1980 also the and a 2 time member of The Sporting News' All-America first team. As a freshman in 1978-1979, he led the Demons to the Final Four, where they lost to Indiana State, led by future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird.
One of the league's most flashy and prolific scorers during the 1980s, Aguirre averaged 20 points per game over the course of his 13-year NBA career. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1981 NBA Draft and remained with the Mavericks until 1989. His greatest season came in 1983-1984, when he averaged 29.5 points per game, second in the league. He finished the season with 2,330 total points. Both Mavericks single-season scoring records still stand. His 13,930 points as a Maverick rank third in the franchise's history, behind Rolando Blackman's 16,643 points and Dirk Nowitzki's 14,039 (updated January 8, 2007). However, his success in Dallas wouldn't last, as he was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Adrian Dantley and a first round draft pick on February 15, 1989.
The trade would see him play for Detroit, alongside his boyhood friend Isiah Thomas. Aguirre helped the Pistons win back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. He stayed with the Pistons until the 1992-1993 season. In 1991 the Pistons were defeated in the playoffs, and over the next few years the team was torn apart. In 1993, the Pistons released Aguirre and after he cleared waivers the Los Angeles Clippers signed him for $150,000. He retired in 1994.
As of 2006, he ranks 45th in the all-time scoring list, with 18,458 points.
He is still active in basketball. Currently, he is an assistant coach of the New York Knicks.
Mark Aguirre's father was born in Mexico, while his mother was born in the United States. Thus making Mark Aguirre a true Mexican-American. Very little is advertised about his Mexican roots even though his last name is a Latino last name (his name is more commonly pronounced 'a-GWYER', not the proper Spanish 'ah-GIR-ay'). His father resides in Chicago.
