Last week, the NBA ordered the Dallas Mavericks to play The National Anthem before their game against the Atlanta Hawks. This decision was made after their owner, Mark Cuban decided to discontinue the practice in Dallas because he and his team believed that it does not represent all communities.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement: “With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem keeping with its longstanding league policy.”

Cuban told The New York Times that the team plans to comply: “We are good with it.” The anthem was played for the first time at a Mavs home game on Monday night. He also released his own statement on Wednesday afternoon explaining the situation further.

He said: “We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country. But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. 

“We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard because they have not been. Going forward, our hope is that people will take the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel differently from them. Only then we can move forward and have courageous conversations that move this country forward and find what unites us.” `

Sources with ESPN state that Cuban never meant to quit playing the anthem for good. The outspoken billionaire explained how his team’s actions were part of an ongoing conversation with people in the community and the league, particularly as fans begin returning to arenas. Only time will tell how this conversation of racial inequality will continue in the future.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.