It did not take long for newly appointed Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May to bring some Michigan flavor to the franchise as they selected Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft.
The forward had a hilarious reaction to reuniting with his head coach from the 2026 national championship-winning team.
The Mavericks stunned the NBA world by hiring May as head coach on Monday. The Michigan Wolverines' takeover of Dallas continued on Tuesday as the Mavericks selected Johnson with the 9th overall pick of the NBA Draft.
After his pick was announced, Johnson shared his excitement at playing for the Mavericks.
"This is his second day. Think he had a little bit, but not too much to do with it. It's crazy, man. We got work to do, back to work… This moment means a lot to me. I've been thinking about this since I was a little kid," he said.
"Dallas has always been a place I wanted to go. It's insane that I'm actually going to Dallas," Johnson added while speaking with ESPN's Lisa Salters .
Johnson also made a hilarious quip as he looked ahead to reuniting with May next season.
"It's insane. The Michigan Mavs now. I'm very grateful for this opportunity. I'm excited to do it with my coach. We won together this past season. I'm looking forward to winning with him with the Mavs when I get there," he added.
Johnson was a key pillar for the Wolverines as they won the national championship for the first time since 1989. After transferring from the University of Illinois, the 6-foot-9 forward started 40 games and averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
After playing a crucial role on both ends of the floor in his sophomore year, Johnson declared for the NBA Draft. Interest in him rose quickly following his standout performance at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, and the Mavericks made sure to snap him up with the No. 9 pick.
Known for his defensive versatility and elite rebounding ability, Johnson also shot 62.3% from the field and 34.3% from the three-point line for the Wolverines last season. These attributes make him one of the most intriguing of the top-10 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Johnson will form the Mavericks frontcourt alongside 2025/26 Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg next season. It will be exciting to see how the two young talents fare together.
