Oct. 31, 2001
DALLAS, Texas - Former Santa Clara University men's basketball star Steve Nash made quite a "first" impression on Dallas' new American Airlines Center Tuesday night.
The Canadian National Team standout scored the building's first official basket on a 21-foot jumper with 11:09 left in first quarter. He went on to score 14 points and dishout 11 assists in 37 minutes of action in the Mavericks' 94-87 win over Detroit in front of an opening night sellout crowd of 19,200 fans.
The game marked the first official regular-season basketball game in the $420 million American Airlines Center. The building serves as the home to the Mavericks and the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.
In Tuesday's game, Nash also earned the distinction of committing the arena's first foul, on Detroit's Dana Barros, with 10:54 left in first quarter. He also connected on the Mavericks' first 3-pointer with 2:24 left in second quarter.