The Dallas Mavericks have stopped playing the national anthem for home games at the direction of owner Mark Cuban, he confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The Mavericks do not intend to resume the tradition of playing the national anthem for matches in the future.
Cuban, who declined further comment, made the decision after consulting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The Mavericks have not announced the policy change, but the National Anthem has not been played this season for their 13 preseason and regular season games at the American Airlines Center.
According to a team source, no players, coaches or staff from other teams mentioned the change.
The NBA rulebook requires players to stand during the national anthem, but Silver has refused to enforce that rule, especially since kneeling during the national anthem has become a popular way to protest social injustice in recent years. The vast majority of NBA players and many coaches knelt to the national anthem during the NBA reboot last summer in Orlando, Florida, when the league incorporated messages supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and other social justice causes into the design of the court and other ways.
“I recognize that this is a very emotional issue on both sides of the equation in America right now, and I think it calls for real commitment rather than rule enforcement,” Silver said at a December press conference.
In a June interview on ESPN’s Outside the Lines, Cuban expressed support for players kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest.
“If they took a knee and they were respectful, I would be proud of them. Hopefully I would join them,” Cuban said.
Cuban then added that he hoped the league would “allow players to do what’s in their hearts”.
“Whether it’s keeping their arm in the air, whether it’s taking a knee, whatever it is, I don’t think this is a matter of respect or disrespect to the flag or it national anthem or for our country, ”said Cuban. “I think this is more a reflection of our players’ commitment to this country and the fact that it is so important to them that they are willing to say what they have in their hearts and do what they think is right.
“I’ll postpone it [Silver] about any final rulings and [players’ union executive director] Michele Roberts. But the reality is, I hope we get the players to do exactly what they think is the right thing to do. “
In 2017, Cuban took a different view after President Donald Trump criticized NFL players who knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.
“This is America, and I’m proud of people who speak up politely. That’s what we are as a country,” Cuban said at the time. “I’m standing there with my hand on my heart. I think the players will be [standing]. I expect them to be. “
Three years later, as the Black Lives Matter movement continued to grow, Cuban explained what changed his mindset.
“Because I think we’ve learned a lot since 2017,” he told OTL in June. “I think we have evolved as a country. And this is really a unique moment in time where we can grow as a society, we can grow as a country and become much more inclusive and become much more aware of the challenges that minority communities face. by.
“So I’m in tune with our players, whatever they want to do. But then again, when our players in the NBA do what they have in their heart, when they do what they feel, they represent who they are and they try this country. When it comes to race relations, I think that’s a beautiful thing and I will be proud of it. “