The Dallas Mavericks stopped playing the national anthem before home games this season and do not plan to play it in the future, a decision made by owner Mark Cuban that he confirmed to The Athletic on Monday night.
None of the 13 preseason and regular season games played at the American Airlines Center this season featured the anthem before the game, including Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the first played this season with a limited number of fans present .
The Mavericks did not publicize the removal of the anthem and The Athletic was the first media organization to talk about the change after realizing its absence on Monday. Several staff members described only realizing the removal of the hymn on their own, since it was also not announced or explained internally.
Cuban declined a request for comment or further explanation on Monday night. The Mavericks organization also declined comment on Tuesday.
An NBA …