The Dallas Mavericks have stopped playing the national anthem before home games on behalf of owner Mark Cuban, he confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The Mavericks do not plan to resume the tradition of playing the national anthem before the games in the future.
Cuban, who declined to comment, made the decision after consulting with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. The Mavericks did not announce the policy change, but the national anthem has not been played before any of its 13 preseason and regular season games at the American Airlines Center this season.
According to a team source, no players, coaches or staff from other teams have mentioned the change.
The NBA rulebook requires players to stand during the national anthem, but Silver has been reluctant to enforce that rule, especially because knees during the anthem became a popular form of protest against the national anthem. social injustice of recent years. The vast majority of NBA players and many coaches knelt during the national anthem during the NBA rematch last summer in Orlando, Florida, when the league incorporated messages of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and other causes. of social justice in court design and other ways.
“I recognize that this is a very emotional issue for both sides of the equation in the United States right now, and I think it calls for a real compromise rather than enforcing the rules,” Silver said during a press conference in December.
In a June interview with ESPN’s Outside the Lines, Cuban expressed his support for players kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest.
“If they got on one knee and were respectful, I would be proud of them. I hope you join me,” Cuban said.
Cuban added then that he hoped the league would “allow players to do what they have in their hearts.”
“Whether you keep your arm up, if you take a knee, whatever it is, I don’t think it’s a matter of respect or disrespect for the flag, the anthem or our country,” Cuban said. . “I think this is more a reflection of our players’ commitment to this country and the fact that it is so important for them that they are willing to say what they have in their heart and do what they think is right.
“I will postpone it [commissioner] Adam [Silver] on any final judgment i [players’ union executive director] Michele Roberts. But the reality is that I hope we let the players do exactly what they think is right. “
In 2017, Cuba expressed a different opinion after President Donald Trump criticized NFL players who were kneeling during the anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.
“This is America and I’m proud of the people who speak civilly. That’s who we are as a country,” he said at the Cuban moment. “I will be there with my hand on my heart. I think the players will be there [standing]. I hope they are. “
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 time when we can grow as a society, we can grow as a country and be much more inclusive and be much more aware of the challenges that minority communities go through. .
“So I’ll be in unison with our players, do what they choose to do. But again, when our NBA players do what they have in their heart, when they do what they feel represents who they are and they look forward to this. country in terms of racial relations, I think it’s a beautiful thing and I’ll be proud of it. “