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But since its inception in 1946, the NBA has only had three native Mexican players. The most notable was Eduardo Najera, who averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds in 619 games for Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and New Jersey Nets. Horacio Llamas played in 28 games and Gustavo Ayon played in 135 games. “Najera was before my time, but I’m fully aware of who he was and what he was able to do,” Jaquez said.
Former standout Eduardo Najera has purchased a stake in the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Arena Soccer League. It’s a reunion for Najera with the sport that he grew up loving before a summertime growth spurt steered him into basketball.
They also have another big supporter in soccer circles: Dirk Nowitzki. The greatest Maverick of them all, he is well-informed about all things in the sport and Najera hopes to get Nowitzki involved in some Sidekick activities.
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Anderson remembers being a rookie for New Orleans and watching veteran teammate Eduardo Najera going all out in practice. He recently found an old quote from Najera saying he wanted to make a group of young players better, including Anderson. A decade later, Anderson is Phoenix’s Najera. “Right now, it’s elevating these young guys. It’s not about Ryan Anderson,” he said.
The Nuggets are likely to get back into the D-League business next season, according to league sources. But nothing has been decided or is imminent. Right now, the Nuggets are not affiliated with a team but can assign players to a D-League team connected to another NBA team. It has been seven years since the Nuggets last had a D-League team all to themselves. Those were the Colorado 14ers, a team that relocated to Frisco, Texas, in 2009 and became the Texas Legends. The Legends are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks and are coached by former Nugget Eduardo Najera.
Eduardo Najera, the former star Oklahoma player who went on to have a 12-year NBA career, is doing the Oklahoma Team Stream broadcast for tonight’s Final Four matchup. Najera is currently working for the Mavericks as a scout and also does pre-game and post-game television work on Mavericks broadcasts. When Buddy Hield was called for a charge, Najera disagreed and took time out of calling the game to very loudly yell at the officials. “Come on. He was moving. That’s a block.”
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes Eduardo Najera will make an excellent NBA coach. Najera is in his second season as the coach of the Texas Legends of the NBA D-league, but has aspirations of moving up to the NBA. "I think being in the D-League has given him great experience and he recognizes a lot of the elements of what it takes to be successful,'' Cuban said before Friday's Mavs-Miami Heat game. "He's open-minded, he's bright, he knows the game, he relates well to players, so he's definitely got a chance to be a great NBA coach. "I know that’s in his DNA and that’s what he wants.''
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Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes Eduardo Najera will make an excellent NBA coach. Najera is in his second season as the coach of the Texas Legends of the NBA D-league, but has aspirations of moving up to the NBA. "I think being in the D-League has given him great experience and he recognizes a lot of the elements of what it takes to be successful,'' Cuban said before Friday's Mavs-Miami Heat game. "He's open-minded, he's bright, he knows the game, he relates well to players, so he's definitely got a chance to be a great NBA coach. I know that’s in his DNA and that’s what he wants.''
Gery Woelfel: Bucks, who still have an asst coach vacancy, showing interest in Eduardo Najera. He has been coaching the Texas Legends.
The hiring of Najera, beloved in his native Mexico, could very well push the Legends to seek to play games in Mexico. "We would love to work with the NBA and figure out how we can increase our presence in Mexico and greater Latin America," Nelson said. "I think the uniqueness of the D-League is that we can be a little more flexible and easier to move around than an NBA team. The NBA’s had a long history of taking teams south of the border. I was involved in one in one of Eddie’s first couple years and they’re still talking about that. "I think that the Latino, Hispanic community initiatives are going to take a new level with Eddie’s new position."
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