The day after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told The Athletic that the team decided not to play the national anthem at home, the NBA issued a statement that the league will maintain its “longstanding policy”.
Cuban made an appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump” and said that the Mavericks have no problem playing the national anthem “in any way” and the reason they have decided not to play it so far this season is because they felt that the tradition “did not fully represent them.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“We are always talking to our community. This is something [Mavericks CEO Cynthia Marshall] represents and is very insistent and has become a central part of who we are at the Dallas Mavericks, “Cuban told Rachel Nichols of ESPN on Wednesday.” When listening to the community, some people expressed their concerns, really their fears that the national anthem would not fully represent them, that their voices were not being heard.
“So we had a lot of conversations about whether or not we should play the anthem. And then, during the first preseason game, we decided not to play it and just see what the answer was, knowing that we would have conversations about it. We didn’t take the decision never to play the national anthem at that time – it wasn’t the case. We didn’t cancel the national anthem. it or whatever. “
NBA REQUIRES TEAMS TO PLAY A NATIONAL HINARY AFTER MARK CUBAN AXED SONG FOR MAVS GAMES
“There was never a final decision that we would not play the anthem,” added Cuban.
After the NBA released its statement on the national anthem, Cuban said the Mavericks would resume playback before Wednesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
“We respect and always respect the passion that people have for the anthem and for our country,” said Cuban in the statement. “But we also hear loudly the voices of those who feel that the hymn does not represent them. We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard because they were not.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“Our hope is that from now on people will have the same passion that they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel different from them. So, we can move on and have courageous conversations that move this country to ahead and find what unites us. “