Dallas Mavericks hire Dusty May as head coach

The Dallas Mavericks are finalizing a deal to hire Dusty May, the head coach who just led the University of Michigan to the NCAA men's basketball national championship, as their next head coach. The move, confirmed by multiple reports on Monday, June 22, 2026, marks a stunning leap for May from the pinnacle of college basketball to the NBA.

May, 49, leaves Michigan after just two seasons, during which he compiled a 64-13 record and delivered the program's first national title since 1989. He replaces Jason Kidd, who was dismissed by the Mavericks earlier this month after the team missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The hiring coincides with the Mavericks' offseason appointment of Masai Ujiri as president of basketball operations.

A significant factor in May's decision is the opportunity to coach Cooper Flagg, the Mavericks' cornerstone player and the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year. The team also holds the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA draft, scheduled for Tuesday, June 23, which could allow May to select a player he previously coached at Michigan, such as projected lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg.

May's rise in coaching has been rapid. Before his tenure at...