Aurora’s Ryan Nembhard signs two-year deal with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks

The remarkable NBA journeys of Andrew and Ryan Nembhard continued last week.

The Aurora-born NCAA stars and accomplished NBA players opened a new chapter in their book of brotherly professional achievements.

Ryan Nembhard signed a standard two-year NBA contract in Dallas on Saturday, based on his excellent play with the Mavericks as a rookie.

Nembhard had bounced back and forth between the NBA Mavericks and the G-League Texas Legends — playing well for both teams while fulfilling the obligations of his original two-way contract.

In thirty-eight games with the Mavericks, Nembhard has averaged 6.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 37.9 per cent from 3-point range.

In six games with the Legends, he averaged 23.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 10.5 assists, and 1 steal—a veritable one-man wrecking crew in the G-League that caught the eye of Mavericks' management.

On Saturday, Nembhard was rewarded with a standard NBA contract, which will provide the rookie point guard with a singular focus as he works his way toward spot-starter status with the Mavericks.

Ryan Nembhard exploded onto the College Basketball scene by earning Big East Freshman of the Year honours in 2021 with the Creighton University Blue Jays.

Just as his older brother did, Ryan flourished during his NCAA career with the Gonzaga Bulldogs.  In two seasons with the Bulldogs, he was an All-WCC First Team All-Star in 2024 and 2025 and led the NCAA in assists as a senior.

Exciting times are ahead for the newest Maverick as he'll line up in the backcourt with rookie phenom Cooper Flagg while Kyrie Irving recovers from season-ending knee surgery. The sky's the limit for this three-man backcourt for Dallas in 2026-27.

North of Dallas in Indianapolis, Andrew Nembhard is battling through the Pacers' injury-plagued 2025-26 season. Although the team has fallen out of playoff contention due to the loss of most of their starters, Andrew has been one of the team's bright lights — averaging 17.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and shooting 43.9 per cent.  The 26-year-old has replicated the high-quality play he displayed last season for Indiana that took the Pacers all the way to the NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference champion and runner-up to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June 2025.

By Jim Stewart