D CEO is proud to announce that Mark Cuban will be honored with a new Community Hero award, as part of the magazine’s 2020 Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship program.
Mark Cuban Rumors
The Dallas Mavericks owner is being recognized for his transformative leadership. As the threat of COVID-19 spread across North Texas, Cuban stood up as a prominent hero for those on the front line—directing his NBA team and its foundation to do hands-on work throughout the community. As Black Lives Matters protests formed in Dallas—and across the globe—he hosted courageous conversations about systemic racism.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: What’s your biggest concern with the bubble and can the NBA actually pull off a restart successfully? Mark Cuban: Obviously, it’s dealing with all the little details that are required to make it work. There are a lot of moving pieces, but I know how many resources that the NBA has dedicated to making this work. I truly believe that the players and staff will be safer in the bubble than they would be anywhere but in their own homes.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Given that certain players are wearing social justice words on the back of their jerseys, how big of a distraction do you think that could be from the NBA’s restart? Mark Cuban: None. It will be something that people talk about, but once the games start fans are going to be fans and love watching the games and people who are not fans will want to commentate. Players are used to ignoring commentary on social legacy and social media, so I don’t think they are distracted by it at all. Plus, this is such a unique situation, my hope is that the players will become closer and stronger together.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Do you ever regret not keeping Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash together? Mark Cuban: Yes. Often. It was my biggest mistake.
Terry, who retired from the NBA in 2018, recently said in a radio interview with CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb that he received a mysteriously urgent, late-night text message from Cuban, the Mavericks’ billionaire owner, in the days after that 2006 NBA Finals loss. “I got a random text in the middle of the night,” Terry says in the interview. “My wife’s looking at my phone, like, ‘Excuse me, it’s 2 a.m., who’s texting?’ And it said, ‘Meet at the jet.’ And I said, ‘It’s Mark [Cuban].’ Terry’s wife told him he’d better hurry up and meet with Cuban, because the situation “must be urgent” for him to reach out in the middle of the night. When Terry met Cuban at the billionaire’s private jet, he saw that future Hall-of-Famer Nowitzki was already on the plane with some of his friends.
Terry was confused. “We have no clothes or nothing and we were just like ‘OK, what’s going on?’” Terry says, adding that Cuban responded: ”‘We’re going to Vegas, man. We got to get away. We’ve got to talk about the future of the team and the franchise and let’s go unwind.’” “And I said ‘Wow. That’s never happened,’” Terry says.
When asked about specifics of what happened on the trip to Las Vegas, Terry played coy somewhat. “What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” the former player joked. But, he quickly added that nothing nefarious happened, and that the trip was “just a bunch of guys talking basketball, enjoying themselves.” “We had a good time. It was good because you got to bond,” Terry says.
Terry, who retired from the NBA in 2018, recently said in a radio interview with CBS Sports’ Zach Gelb that he received a mysteriously urgent, late-night text message from Cuban, the Mavericks’ billionaire owner, in the days after that 2006 NBA Finals loss. “I got a random text in the middle of the night,” Terry says in the interview. “My wife’s looking at my phone, like, ‘Excuse me, it’s 2 a.m., who’s texting?’ And it said, ‘Meet at the jet.’ And I said, ‘It’s Mark [Cuban].’ Terry’s wife told him he’d better hurry up and meet with Cuban, because the situation “must be urgent” for him to reach out in the middle of the night. When Terry met Cuban at the billionaire’s private jet, he saw that future Hall-of-Famer Nowitzki was already on the plane with some of his friends.
Terry was confused. “We have no clothes or nothing and we were just like ‘OK, what’s going on?’” Terry says, adding that Cuban responded: ”‘We’re going to Vegas, man. We got to get away. We’ve got to talk about the future of the team and the franchise and let’s go unwind.’” “And I said ‘Wow. That’s never happened,’” Terry says.
When asked about specifics of what happened on the trip to Las Vegas, Terry played coy somewhat. “What goes on in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” the former player joked. But, he quickly added that nothing nefarious happened, and that the trip was “just a bunch of guys talking basketball, enjoying themselves.” “We had a good time. It was good because you got to bond,” Terry says.
He added, “If our guys want to kneel, I think that’s a great step forward. Look. I’ll add this. You know, all this discussion of kneeling and the flag has got to be again about the Pledge of Allegiance, and the best part about the Pledge of Allegiance is when you pledge allegiance to the flag, it’s for liberty and justice for all. I think players and anybody who addresses the flag and kneels, really is just standing up for that pledge they made for liberty and justice for all because that’s truly what we need in this country, and as NBA players or any athletes anywhere who push further in that direction, that’s a beautiful thing.”
Mark Cuban pushing to start the season on Christmas Day
Cuban: “I hope for the NBA and I hope not for other sports, for obvious reasons. I’ve always been a proponent of starting on Christmas Day because that’s when we go to broadcast television. Whether it’s Christmas Day or possibly a little earlier, because part of the thought process is hopefully there’s a vaccine by then, and I’m one of these people that’s very confident that there will be. The science geek in me just reading it thinks that it’s highly likely that there will be. Now the question is the distribution of it and the more time we buy for distribution of the vaccine, the more likely when we start next season there’s an opportunity to not just have some fans but more fans than we otherwise might expect.”
On what the NBA’s bubble life environment will be like: Mark Cuban: “It’s not like a typical arena environment and everything’s exactly the same except the fans aren’t there. It’s the exact opposite. Everything is protected. This is ‘Hotel California’ — you check-in and you do not leave. It’s very specific to health and safety protocols. Why would we go through all this to create a bubble and then just let all the employees that work at the arena or around the arena just come and go as they please? That would defeat the whole purpose.”
Mark Cuban: “Trust me, we’re not going to screw up the whole thing because somebody from room service just went out drinking the night before in Orlando and then went … and gave the virus to somebody. We have gone so overboard in every direction that, honestly, it’s probably — given the ages of everybody — it’s probably safer to be in the bubble than it is to be at home in Dallas or any city.”
The billionaire Dallas Mavericks governor was talking about the Black Lives Matter protest movement that has gained in momentum and progress over the last month, and told Butler that it made him think about the pledge he said every day growing up. “We all said that pledge growing up in the United States,” Cuban said. “And going back to it, liberty and justice for all. That’s what this flag is supposed to be for all of us. And so when people kneel, when people stand up and protest, it’s specifically what we pledged to do our entire lives at school.”
Liberty and justice for all is a major reason for these protests in the first place, Cuban said. “When people chant ‘no justice, no peace,’ to me that’s what they mean,” the 61-year-old Cuban said. “That’s what I hear. And when people kneel, they’re not turning away from the flag, they’re towards the flag and pushing for justice for all.”
Makanjuola, specifically, asked Cuban if he would support his players sitting out the NBA’s restart in Orlando, Florida to focus on the BLM movement. “Yes,” Cuban responded. “You know, there’s 450 NBA players and it’s their league. I mean, we’re truly a player-driven league. And so yes, you know I’m proud of our players for speaking up. I’m proud of them that this topic is this important to them and they’re really using their platform for societal good, so yes.”
Cuban thinks its best if he takes a backseat. He believes it’s the players who should be at the forefront of any movement toward the betterment of Black lives. “I have talked to my players and tried to listen to them, more than anything else,” Cuban said. “It’s their experiences that are educating us all. You know it’s a process that’s not moving fast enough and, you know, as you mentioned, the majority of ownership is white, and it’s incumbent upon us to have the tough conversations.”
With the ongoing protests emphasizing the inherent dangers of simply being Black and in talks with his players, Cuban is reassessing his privilege and acknowledging its influence in almost all aspects of his life. “It’s been an ongoing process. I can honestly say three, four years ago, I would have looked at this completely differently, but over the last two years is probably when it’s really resonated with me that my experience is different,’ Cuban said. “You know, it’s not just George Floyd, it’s been happening again over the last couple years.”
What have you learned about Kristaps Porzingis on the court and off? Mark Cuban: I really like KP. He loves the game of basketball. He works his ass off. He wants to be one of the best players in the game and puts in the time. And most importantly he wants to win. He will put what the team needs ahead of stats or individual accolades to help us win. What I like best about KP is that he has that one extra level at crunch time that all great players have.
What are your main safety concerns about the Orlando bubble, and are positive tests inevitable? Mark Cuban: I don’t have specific concerns. I think the NBA and Disney are working with our doctors and scientists to do everything possible to keep (participants) safe. In fact, given the rise in cases in states, I have every reason to believe the setup we have in Orlando will be safer for our players and travel parties than staying in their respective cities.
What will it be like with no fans in the arena? Mark Cuban: It will be different for certain. But there will be a lot of technology we will be experimenting with to try to introduce noise and make the event more entertaining for players and TV viewers. We have been having a lot of fun with apps that allow fans to push noise they make at home into the arena. So not only will there be competition on the court, there will be competition from fans to contribute energy as well!
Is there anything you would have changed about the playoff format or the starting date for the 2021-22 NBA season? Mark Cuban: There is no perfect format. We could tweak it here or there, but I think we ended up with a solution that will definitely work. In terms of the starting day for next season, my preference is Christmas Day, but am OK with any time after Thanksgiving. With companies and schools changing their holiday schedule to effectively combine Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks as a means of reducing risk, I’m hopeful the NBA can use that time to not only start the season, but also to start to introduce fans to a home schedule. Again, it’s purely a hope.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hopes to kneel with players during national anthem
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that if his players take a knee during the national anthem, he hopes to join them. In an interview with ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Thursday, Cuban was asked how he would react if he saw Mavericks players not standing for the anthem. “If they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I’d be proud of them. Hopefully I’d join them,” Cuban said.
“Whether it’s holding their arm up in the air, whether it’s taking a knee, whatever it is, I don’t think this is an issue of respect or disrespect to the flag or to the anthem or to our country,” Cuban said. “I think this is more a reflection of our players’ commitment to this country and the fact that it’s so important to them that they’re willing to say what’s in their heart and do what they think is right.”
Three years later, as the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Cuban explained what has changed his mindset. “Because I think we’ve learned a lot since 2017,” he told OTL. “I think we’ve evolved as a country. And this is really a unique point in time where we can grow as a society, we can grow as a country and become far more inclusive and become far more aware of the challenges that minority communities go through. “So I’ll stand in unison with our players, whatever they choose to do. But again, when our players in the NBA do what’s in their heart, when they do what they feel represents who they are and look to move this country forward when it comes to race relationships, I think that’s a beautiful thing and I’ll be proud of them.”
Marc Stein: Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic will be back in Dallas “in the next few days,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban tells @NYTSports. Porzingis posted an IG story yesterday indicating he is already en route … with teams leaguewide scheduled to begin coronavirus testing of players Tuesday
The NBA’s Disney plan includes 22 teams traveling to Orlando to play games in what is being described as “a bubble,” at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. Players that decide to participate will be subject to extensive testing, quarantines from their families and strict rules pertaining to social behavior. The league memo, which is more than 100 pages long, outlines its plan to keep players safe and the tools it will be utilizing in order to do so. “I think we are going to be able to pull this off,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday. “We are doing everything possible to keep people safe and I think it will work.”
Squawk Box: “I wasn’t happy with the fact that there wasn’t a lot of management of people’s expectations,” says @mcuban on how Texas is handling re-opening. “If we’re going to stay open, we’re really going to have to take steps to make sure businesses enforce the requirements for masks.” Brad Townsend: “We had a scare here in our house.” Cuban says his daughter attended a grad party at which “a bunch of kids” got COVID-19. Cuban’s daughter tested negative.
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association have talked about how they will address these issues together, but definitive plans are still forthcoming. The burden of financial donations to black communities disproportionately falls onto players, Bradley said, and hoped that more owners would follow the charitable lead of Dallas’ Mark Cuban and Charlotte’s Michael Jordan in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death last month.
Mark Cuban made a big contribution to help support black journalists in need. The Dallas Mavericks owner recently donated $100,000 toward NABJ’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, which was created to assist journalists whose jobs have been impacted by layoffs due to the pandemic. “I asked [Mavericks.com writer] Dwain Price what he thought of the idea, which he was very, very supportive of, so I went ahead with it,” Cuban told CNBC via email.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has contributed $100,000 to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Covid-19 Relief Fund, the organization told CNBC. The fund was established by NABJ to assist both sports and non-sports journalists whose jobs have been impacted by layoffs due to the pandemic. Cuban told CNBC the donation was to honor former sportswriters, Roger B. Brown and Martin McNeal, “two legends in the business that I had the pleasure of working with via the Mavs.” “I asked [lMavericks.com writer] Dwain Price what he thought of the idea, which he was very, very supportive of, so I went ahead with it,” Cuban told CNBC via email.
One thing the NBA has on its side at the moment is time. Things are changing by the day and nobody knows how quickly things could improve (or not) with regard to the coronavirus. “I’m ready. I’m ready,” owner Mark Cuban said. “Safety first, as always. But obviously the science is improving, the testing is improving. Hopefully we’ll get to the point where there’s a vaccine and that will give us more confidence. And we’ll start playing games July 31st. I’m excited about that. It’s my birthday. It’s going to be a great birthday present.”
Mark Cuban on running for president of the United States: “I get a lot a requests all the time but my family shut it down. The unfortunate reality of politics these days is that… It’s brutal. It’s not something that you want your young kids to go through and have to experience. (…) My wife, she was just like ‘no, you can’t do it.’ So I got voted down four to one on that option.”
“I need all of us to really open up and talk to each other, even when it’s difficult,” Cuban said during his brief speech at the beginning of the event. “Even when it’s not something we’re comfortable with, particularly those of you who look like me, the white people. Because it’s hard to discuss race when you’re white. “The reality is, to be brutally honest, when people talk about white privilege, we get defensive. We all have this mechanism that I call manufactured equivalency to try to protect ourselves. We’ll say, ‘I have a lot of black friends.’ We’ll say, ‘I grew up in a mixed community, so I’m not like that. I can’t possibly be someone who takes advantage of white privilege,’ and manufacture this equivalency.
Mark Cuban commissioned presidential poll
The entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner appeared on “The Axe Files” podcast and told political strategist David Axelrod that he recently hired a pollster to put out a 2020 survey. “So I hired a pollster,” Cuban told Axelrod, who is now the director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics after serving as the chief strategist for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. “And this was two weeks ago — three weeks ago,” Cuban said. “And what they found out was, I would take some votes away from Donald Trump, particularly with independents.” He added: “In a three way between me, Biden, and Trump, I just dominated with me as an independent. I dominated the independent vote. I got like 77% of it.”
Cuban also said he was able to shave off some support from both Biden and Trump, but the overall numbers were not enough to move the needle. “But in aggregate, I was only able to get up to 25%,” he said. “From every which way, cross tab, you name it — I had it scrutinized every which way,” Cuban added.
Brad Townsend: More Cuban, when asked, as a business owner and a white man, his plan of action: “Job one, I’d say, is to push for zero tolerance in police forces. The guy who killed Mr. Floyd, it wasn’t his first act of violence. So we need to get to zero tolerance and push for legislation that gets us there. As a business person, going out into the minority community and providing support. We’ve been working to provide economic support for some of the businesses in the minority community that have been looted.”
Eddie Sefko: “Just being color blind is not enough.” Mark Cuban on TNT. Great stuff from him, Chuck, Kenny and the gang.
During an appearance on “The Axe Files” podcast Thursday with CNN commentator and former Obama administration official David Axelrod, Cuban said as recently as last month he commissioned a pollster to gauge his prospects as an independent candidate but decided not to pursue it further after seeing how he’d match up in a race with President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
“What they found out is I’d take some votes away from Donald Trump, particularly with independents,” Cuban said. “In a three-way between me, Biden and Trump, I dominated the independent vote — I got like 77 percent percent of it and was able to take some votes away from Donald and some votes away from Biden. But in aggregate, I was only able to get up to 25 percent. From every which way, crosstab, you name it, I had it analyzed and scrutinized every which way, projected, and they could only see me getting up to 25 percent. That’s why I didn’t pursue it further.”
Cuban said fears about helping Trump get re-elected if he ran as an independent didn’t factor into his thinking. “Not so much that. I just didn’t think I could win,” Cuban said. “The competitive side of me thought, when people heard me speak, when people heard my positions, when people heard the fact that I understood what I was talking about and understood technology and none of the candidates understood technology that maybe I could do it.”
Mark Cuban: Dear White People: We are the ones that need to change. This is not one man’s story. This is almost every black man’s story. Which is why the problem is ours. We need to find OUR way to change what we do. There is no quick fix. It’s a moral imperative
“This is our community; our country,” Cuban told The News. “Both are hurting. I wanted to be here to listen. To understand better the pain the African American community is going through. And to show that the Mavs organization will be here to help.”
Teresa Woodard: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban among the huge crowd gathered at a #GeorgeFloyd prayer vigil outside Dallas Police headquarters. Photo credit to #WFAA photojournalist @chancehorner.
On Thursday, the University of Michigan released a study claiming that HGH could aid in the recovery of torn ACLs by preventing the loss of muscle strength in knees. Cuban funded that study, and went on to argue on its behalf on Twitter. “It’s time to recognize that HGH (Human Growth Hormone) can positively impact injury recovery,” Cuban wrote. “I funded this study so that athletes can get back to full strength and doing what they love.”
On an appearance on ESPN’s The Jump Friday, Cuban argued that the only reason HGH is banned by the NBA is because the World Anti-Doping Association banned it. “There really was no research or complete logic for doing it,” Cuban said. “So a couple of years ago, I said, ‘look, if there’s no data there to dismiss HGH, let’s find out if it can help for injury recovery because it’s been discussed as having that ability.’ So I worked with the University of Michigan and we put together a study, and as it turned out, comparing athletes vs. a placebo, there was a significant improvement in their recovery time and getting back to full strength. And so now, this is the first step towards offering data and hopefully the NBA, the Olympics and other leagues will look at this and say ‘let’s do some more studies.’ I’m willing to get involved with more studies financially, but if we can get the leagues to do it, the players I think will all be for it as long as you can prove that it’s safe.”
Mark Cuban offered his predictions on ESPN’s “The Jump”. First: Aug. 1 will likely be the latest date the NBA could restart its season without significantly hampering future seasons, Cuban said. To calculate his timeline, Cuban “works backward” from the 2020-21 season, which he is in favor of starting on Christmas, rather than in late October under the league’s traditional calendar.
