Rolando Blackman

Four-time NBA All-Star and Mavericks legend who later played for the Knicks and in Europe.

Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player who spent 13 seasons in the NBA, most of it with the Dallas Mavericks. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and he holds the Mavericks' franchise single-game record for free throws made (22).

Quick Facts

Born: 26 February 1959
Birthplace: Panama City, Panama
Nationality: Panamanian; American
High school: William E. Grady (Brooklyn, New York)
College: Kansas State (1977–1981)
Draft round: 1
Draft pick: 9
Drafted by: Dallas Mavericks

Lore & Background

Blackman was born in Panama City, Panama, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, from the age of eight. He played college basketball at Kansas State University, where he was named Big Eight Conference Player of the Year and All-American in 1980. He scored 1,844 career points, the second-highest total in Kansas State history. He was selected as a starter for the 1980 Summer Olympics basketball team but did not participate due to the U.S. Olympic boycott; he received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created for the spurned athletes. In his senior year, he led Kansas State to the West Regional final of the NCAA tournament, hitting a game-winning jumper against #1 seed Oregon State. His number 25 jersey was retired by Kansas State on February 17, 2007, and he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Blackman was drafted by the Mavericks in the first round (9th overall) of the 1981 NBA draft, becoming the first Panamanian-born player in the NBA. He averaged a career-high 22.4 PPG in the 1983–1984 season, leading the franchise to its first playoff appearance. On February 17, 1986, he set the Mavericks single-game record for free throws made (22) and attempted (23). He was a four-time NBA All-Star. In the 1987 All-Star Game, he tied the game at the end of regulation with two free throws. The Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals in 1987–1988, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games. Blackman scored 16,643 points with the Mavericks, a franchise record for 18 years until broken by Dirk Nowitzki on March 8, 2008. In his 865 games with the Mavericks, he never fouled out. On June 24, 1992, he was traded to the New York Knicks for a 1995 first-round pick. He spent his final two NBA seasons with the Knicks, and the team made it to the NBA Finals in 1994, losing to the Houston Rockets in seven games. One of his most notable games as a Knick was hitting the game-winning shot in Game 4 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the Charlotte Hornets. On July 6, 1994, the Knicks waived Blackman. After being released, he retired from the NBA. Following the 1993–94 season, his career totals were 17,623 points, 3,278 rebounds, and 2,981 assists. He was the NBA's all-time scoring leader among Hispanic/Latin players until March 6, 2015, when Pau Gasol overtook him.

Reader's Guide

Rolando Blackman played for the Dallas Mavericks (1981–1992) and the New York Knicks (1992–1994). He was a four-time NBA All-Star. After his NBA career, he played professionally in Europe for AEK Athens (Greece), Olimpia Milano (Italy), and Limoges CSP (France). He later worked as a coach and executive for the Mavericks and as an assistant coach for international teams.