Mark Cuban isn’t backing down from the NBA “owner” debate.
“It’s not that big a deal,” Cuban told TMZ Sports. “If you run a company, own a company, start a company … you decide [on what to call yourself].”
The Dallas Mavericks owner’s retort comes as NBA commissioner Adam Silver continues to dismiss the term “owner” as racially insensitive. Silver over the weekend said the league hasn’t used it in years, instead calling club owners “Governor of the team” and “alternate governors.”
Cuban, who purchased the Dallas Mavericks back in 2000, is listed in the team’s 2018-19 media guide as the “owner.” Other teams, including the Warriors and Rockets, also use “owner” in their media guides, according to USA Today.
Back in 2017, Cuban fired back at Draymond Green’s remarks on the issue by claiming he was trying to turn it into something it wasn’t and that “he owed the NBA an apology.”
“We own equity; we don’t own people. And there’s a big difference. This is a country where we have corporations, and you put up your money and buy equity. E-Q-U-I-T-Y. It translates into shares of stock,” Cuban said then. “People who bust their ass and work hard and get a little bit lucky have enough money to buy enough shares of stock to buy a company. To try to turn it into something that it’s not is ridiculous.”
Green in particular is very outspoken on the matter, which Silver said he completely respects.