Why Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made Dusty May head coach decision

There was a lot for Masai Ujiri to like when he made the decision to hire Dusty May as the Dallas Mavericks’ next head coach.

The Mavericks hired May in stunning move on Monday. This saw him move on from being a head coach in college basketball after eight seasons. He enjoyed incredible success with the Florida Atlantic Owls and the Michigan Wolverines, leading the former to the Final Four in 2023 and the latter to the national championship in 2026.

May saw the need to embrace a new challenge as a head coach, going up the ranks from college basketball to the NBA. Ujiri, the Mavericks’ team president, explained the reasoning behind his decision to hire May among the other candidates for the position.

“Dusty stood out in many ways. I saw him in Chicago in the predraft camp & observed him. Talking to people & it’s a different ball game with NIL & college & how you operate with youth. It’s almost like a professional league in college. Many things translate,” Ujiri said, via reporter Mike Curtis.

Asked Masai Ujiri about hiring Dusty May as Mavs coach:

“Dusty stood out in many ways. I saw him in Chicago in the predraft camp & observed him. Talking to people & it’s a different ball game with NIL & college & how you operate with youth. It’s almost like a professional league… pic.twitter.com/Zzgy9h9I1m

— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) June 23, 2026

What lies ahead for Dusty May, Mavericks

Masai Ujiri certainly saw the elite skillset Dusty May possesses as ahead coach. Which made his decision to hire him much easier as he looks forward to what May brings to the Mavericks.

The Mavericks certainly view his talents as remarkable, transforming the teams he coached into winners throughout his respective stints. Considering Dallas’ regression after appearing in the 2024 NBA Finals, they need a coach who will bring them back to serious contention. To Ujiri, May seems to be the right man for the job.

Dallas has a promising future that has Cooper Flagg being the face of the franchise. The team will build through the draft and free agency to improve from their 26-56 record this past season. This resulted in them firing Jason Kidd after five seasons, making the playoffs twice in 2022 and 2024.

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