Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, confirmed to The New York Times that this was a decision he made in November and that the team will not be playing the anthem in the future. Cuban did not give enough information on why he decided to make this sudden decision.
This announcement surprised a lot of people because Cuban is a very outspoken person, especially when it comes to people criticizing the basketball players for kneeling down during the National Anthem over the past couple of seasons.
Back in June 2020, Cuban did an interview with Jeremy Schaap on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” and said “Whether it’s holding their arm up in the air, whether it’s taking a knee, whatever it is, I don’t think this is an issue of respect or disrespect to the flag or to the anthem or to the country.”
The NBA requires players to stand for the National Anthem, but during the past few seasons, the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, has not enforced that rule to the players or the league. Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, he is the one who makes the decisions for the team.