Happy 66th Birthday, Mark Aguirre

Cover photo: Mark Aguirre with the Dallas Mavericks. Photo credit: Getty Images.

An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on Dec. 10 as 3-time all-star and 2-time NBA champion Mark Aguirre turns 66. 

One of the best players to ever come out of Chicago, Ill., Aguirre starred at Westinghouse Prep alongside future NBA Sixth Man of the Year Eddie Johnson. In 1978, Westinghouse won the Chicago Public League title. Aguirre averaged 33 points and 16 rebounds per game and was All-City, All-State and a McDonald’s All-American in 1978. 

Aguirre stayed local for college, attending DePaul University. There, he posted career averages of 24.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. As a sophomore, he averaged 26.8 points per game on 54.0% shooting (18.6 shots) and was a 1st team All-American. He was the Associated Press Player of the Year, Naismith Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, UPI Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, and Rupp Award winner for 1979-80. As a junior, he averaged 23.0 points per game (58.2% on 16.6 shots) and was 1st team All-American. 

Coming out of school after his junior season, Aguirre was drafted first overall in 1981 by the Dallas Mavericks, with fellow Chicago native Isiah Thomas drafted second. 

The Mavericks won 15 games in 1980-81, their inaugural season. In Aguirre’s rookie season of 1981-82, the team won 28 games under head coach Dick Motta. Forward Jay Vincent led the team in scoring (21.7 points) while Aguirre averaged 18.7 points per game on 46.5% shooting (16.1 shots) in 28.8 minutes per game, 51 games. From his second season to his sixth, Aguirre never averaged less than 22.6 points per game. 

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Mark Aguirre’s Stats: 1982-83 to 1987-88

1982-83: 24.4 points (48.3% FG, 19.6 FGA), 6.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 34.4 minutes, 81 games 

1983-84: 29.5 points (52.4% FG, 22.3 FGA), 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 36.7 minutes, 79 games, All-Star. 11.7 FGM, 22.3 FGA (1st in NBA)

In Aguirre’s first playoff series, against the Seattle SuperSonics, he posted three double-doubles - 20 points and 11 rebounds, 27 points and 17 rebounds, and 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. He posted 25 points in Games 3 and 5. In Game 4 of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, Aguirre shot 14-of-23 and made 6-of-7 from the line for 34 points. 

1984-85: 25.7 points (50.6% FG, 19.6 FGA), 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 33.7 minutes, 80 games 

In the first round of the 1985 playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers, Aguirre posted 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 1, 20 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in Game 2, 30 points and 6 rebounds in Game 3, and 39 points and 5 rebounds in Game 4.

1985-86: 22.6 points (50.3% FG, 17.9 FGA), 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 33.8 minutes, 74 games 

In Game 2 of the 1986 first round against the Utah Jazz, Aguirre posted 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, and in Game 4 scored 28 points with 8 assists and 7 rebounds. In the next series against the Lakers, he posted 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in Game 2, 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in Game 3, 39 points and 10 assists in Game 4, 27 points and 7 rebounds in Game 5, and 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 6. 

1986-87: 25.7 points (49.5% FG, 19.9 FGA), 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 33.3 minutes, 80 games, All-Star

In Games 1 and 2 of the first round against the SuperSonics, Aguirre scored 28 points in each game on a combined 22-of-37 shooting. 

1987-88: 25.1 points (47.5% FG, 20.4 FGA), 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 33.9 minutes, 77 games, All-Star 

Aguirre tallied 10 games of 20 or more points in the 1988 playoffs, including three games over 30 - 38 points on 13-of-21 in the first round against the Houston Rockets, 34 points on 14-of-20 in Game 4 of the second round against the Denver Nuggets, and 31 points on 12-of-25 in Game 5 against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. 

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Aguirre played 44 games with the Mavericks to begin the 1988-89 season (21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 45.0% on 18.8 shots, 34.8 minutes) before a trade to the Detroit Pistons for Adrian Dantley. In Detroit, Aguirre was reunited with his old Chicago friend Isiah Thomas. For the remainder of the season, Aguirre averaged 15.5 points on 48.3% shooting (12.3 shots) in 29.7 minutes, starting 32 of 36 games. 

In his four seasons as a Piston (282 games with averages of 14.1, 14.2, 11.3, and 9.9 points per game), Aguirre played in 57 playoff games, posting seven playoff games of 20 or more points. He scored 25 points (9-of-16) in Game 3 of the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, 25 points in Game 5 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks, and 25 in Game 1 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls. His most prolific playoff performance as a Piston was in Game 4 of the 1991 Eastern Conference Semifinals, when he poured in 34 points on 11-of-16 from the field and 10-of-13 from the line in 29 minutes against the Boston Celtics.

Aguirre spent the final season of his career, 1993-94, with the Los Angeles Clippers. In 39 games with the Clippers, he averaged 10.6 points on 46.8% shooting in 22 minutes per game. 

Aguirre’s lifetime averages in 923 career games (639 starts) were 20.0 points (48.4% on 16 shots), 5.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 30.0 minutes per game. In 556 games with the Mavericks, 527 of which were starts, he played 33.8 minutes and averaged 24.6 points (49.2% on 19.5 shots), 5.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Aguirre scored 18,458 career points. In his playoff career that consisted of 66 starts, he registered 1,747 points (17.1 points per game) and 10 double-doubles, one of which was a 12-point, 10-rebound effort in Game 1 of the 1989 NBA Finals. He registered 18 points and 8 rebounds in Game 1 of the 1990 Final against the Trail Blazers.

At 6 feet, 6 inches and 232 pounds, Aguirre was a sturdy scorer who was one of the best bucket-getters of his time. After the trade to the Pistons, he was an integral player on two championship teams. Undoubtedly one of the best players to come out of the Windy City. 

“Mark Aguirre was the man,” said Thomas at one time. “There was only one player at that time in Chicago, they were talking about Mark Aguirre leaving high school playing in the NBA. Mark Aguirre could shoot it, pass it, take you off the dribble, dunk it, post you, averaging 26, 27 points a night.”

Happy 66th, Mark Aguirre.