Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to ax the national anthem before home games drew mixed reactions from NBA coaches around the league on Wednesday. …
Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to ax the national anthem before home games drew mixed reactions from NBA coaches around the league on Wednesday. Upon the franchise’s initial decision to stop playing the anthem, Cuban and the Mavericks found support from New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy. «This should happen everywhere. If you think the anthem needs to be played before sporting events, then play it before every movie, concert, church service and the start of every work day at every business,» he tweeted. «What good reason is there to play the anthem before a game?» Amid the frenzy over the decision, the NBA released a statement Wednesday mandating teams play «The Star-Spangled Banner» in their pregame festivities to follow the league’s policy. Cuban and Mavericks both released statements supporting the decision to do so. Cuban told ESPN before Dallas’ game Wednesday night that he wasn’t trying to «cancel» the anthem. «We’re always talking to our community.
