The decision by Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks to abandon the national anthem before home games drew mixed reactions from NBA coaches in the league on Wednesday.
After the franchise’s initial decision to stop playing the anthem, Cuban and the Mavericks found support from New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy.
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“It should happen everywhere. If you think the anthem needs to be played before sporting events, then play it before every movie, show, religious service and at the beginning of each working day at each company, ”he tweeted. “What is the good reason for playing the anthem before the game?”
In the midst of the frenzy over the decision, the NBA issued a statement on Wednesday requiring teams to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at pre-game festivities to follow league policy. Cuban and Mavericks released statements supporting the decision to do so.
Cuban told ESPN before the Dallas game on Wednesday night that he was not trying to “cancel” the anthem.
“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, “said Cuban in” The Jump “.
“When listening to the community, there were some people who expressed their concerns, in fact their fears that the national anthem would not fully represent them, that their voices were not being heard,” he continued.
“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. “
MAVS ‘MARK CUBAN INSISTS’ WE CANNOT CANCEL THE NATIONAL ANTEMA ‘
“There was never a final decision that we would not play the anthem,” added Cuban.
The Mavericks played a pre-recorded anthem before the game. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the anthem after the game.
“It’s a logical progression,” said Carlisle of the debate on how to play the anthem, via the team’s website. “And I think anything like that, whenever you have a result of something like that, you have to embrace it.
“This is an opportunity for people to look at things differently,” he added. “And whether you agree or disagree, we must all agree that, as Americans, we support the right to choose how we express ourselves. And that is another fundamental thing that is very important with that.”
Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams said that from experience he liked the song before the game.
“I also tried the anthem at the World Cup and the Olympics, which was one of the coolest things I’ve ever participated in, was listening to our anthem in a foreign country before competing or at the end when you win,” said Williams. “So for me, as far as I can appreciate both sides of the coin, it holds a special place in my heart because of what I have experienced.”
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The Suns played the anthem in every home game this season, despite the lack of fans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.