Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban looks on from the bench area during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, on Dec 25, 2020.Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
The NBA said Wednesday the U.S. national anthem will be played in arenas “in keeping with long-standing league policy” after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed he had decided not to play it before his team’s home games this season.
The league’s initial reaction to Cuban’s decision was to say teams were free to conduct pregame activities as they wished with the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic. Most NBA teams don’t have fans at home games.
But the NBA abruptly reversed course with Cuban’s decision reverberating around the country, including a question put to White House press secretary Jen Psaki during her daily briefing. Athlete protests of social and racial injustice during the anthem became a flashpoint between then-President Donald Trump and various leagues during his administration.
Cuban told The New York Times on Wednesday that the Mavericks would follow the policy immediately and play The Star-Spangled Banner before games.
The Mavericks played their first 10 regular-season games without fans before allowing 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend Monday’s game against Minnesota for free.