The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. Throughout the 1980s, the Mavericks were a perennial playoff team, led by All-Stars Rolando Blackman and Mark Aguirre. The team struggled during the 1990s, entering into a period of rebuilding. In 1998, the franchise's fortunes would change drastically with the acquisition of Dirk Nowitzki, who would become the cornerstone of the most successful period in franchise history, leading the team to its first NBA championship in 2011. As of December 2019, the Mavericks have sold out 731 consecutive games since December 15, 2001, the longest currently running sellout streak in North American major league sports. When combined with the 67 sold-out playoff games that occurred during that span, the American Airlines Center has been sold out for 798 consecutive games.