Musician and Dallas native Justin Lyons is known as the Guitar Slayer.
Lyons, who grew up in Oak Cliff, is also slaying his dreams of being a part of the Dallas Mavericks, just not quite in the way he imagined.
When the Dallas Mavericks are introduced before a game their walkout hype song is Eminence Front by the Who, but you may be wondering who the guitarist is playing it front and center.
“So I'm from Oak Cliff, Texas,” guitarist Justin Lyons said. “Born and raised right here, hometown Dallas. I've never moved away.”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
His band members gave him the nickname Guitar Slayer.
“Anything with a string I can play it,” Lyons said.
He's toured with big-name artists and most recently with Machine Gun Kelly.
That's how he got the call to play the National Anthem for a Dallas Stars game, then a Mavs game and then an invite to play the Mavs intro music.
“Oh man, it's surreal,” Lyons said. “Honestly, I'm still pinching myself. I'm still like, ‘Oh, God is this real’ and it is real. This is definitely real. It's one of those things I grew up a Dallas Maverick fan.”
Such a big Mavericks fan that Lyons, as a young basketball player in Oak Cliff, hoped to one day be on the team. In a slightly different way, he's living his dream.
“I talked about how I thought I was going to get picked up by the Dallas Mavericks as a ball player,” Lyons said. “But to be doing it in this capacity. It's just like the stars that aligned and you know, God is just placing me here where he sees me to be. Unbelievable. I feel like I'm one of the players in this moment.”
And why shouldn't he? He does have his own limited edition Dallas Mavericks Guitar Slayer t-shirt.
“Just mind blown,” Lyons said. “Get to see it next to one of my favorite players Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington. So, walking in and seeing that and knowing that it's available for fans to have a piece of me with them. On them in their homes. A blessing.”
Now he's remaining hopeful for a championship win that he, the Mavs, and his hometown can all cherish.
“I know it’s going to be amazing, not just for myself, but everybody involved from the president, CEO, owners, everybody you know,” Lyons said. “I think this is a big win for not only everybody in the organization but the city.”
Lyons used custom-designed PRS guitars for the series in Mavs colors and he has a new one designed for the championship in gold colors representing the trophy he says the team will win.
