Mavs owner Mark Cuban tells Ted Cruz to ‘have some balls’ in spat over NBA players kneeling during national anthem
NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has told Texas Senator Ted Cruz to “have some balls for once” in a spat over basketball players kneeling during the national anthem.
The Twitter spat between Cuban and Cruz began when the senator took a screenshot of Cuban’s original clap-back at conservative radio host Mark Davis.
On Sunday night, Davis praised the Dallas Mavericks’ performance, saying that the team is in the final stretch of a winning season.
The Mavs are now looking to clinch the first playoff appearance since 2016.
But Davis said he would stop rooting for the team “the minute one player kneels during the anthem.”
He continued: “Surely @mcuban can lead the way for #Marvs, #NBC to do whatever gesture they wish without insulting the nation.”
Within 20 minutes, Cuban fired a three-letter reply with the word “Bye”.
Cuban later added: “The National Anthem Police in this country are out of control. If you want to complain, complain to your boss and ask why they don’t play the National Anthem every day before you start work.”
The NBA currently requires players to stand for the national anthem, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had said that he would deal with the situation if and when a player decides to kneel.
Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are among NBA stars who support free agent NFL player and social activist Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in the 2016/17 football season to highlight racial injustice.
But things quickly escalated when Senator Cruz took a screenshot of Cuban’s reply to Davis.
Cruz’s tweet reads: “NBA is telling everyone who stands for the flag, who honors our cops and our veterans, to ‘piss off’? In Texas, no less? Good luck with that.”
“Have some balls for once @tedcruz,” Cuban shot back. “Speak to me. It’s my tweet.”
Cruz took notice and didn’t appreciate the snarky response.
He shot back at Cuban: “Speaking of balls, tell us what you think about China. I’ll wait.”
The senator referred to the ongoing controversy over the NBA’s relationship with China in a series of tweets.
The league came under fire in October of last year when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey showed his support for Hong Kong over Twitter.
The coach quickly backpedaled his pro-Hong Kong tweet as it drew fire from Chinese fans, sponsors, and commercial partners.
Many NBA stars, coaches, and executives have since been criticized for taking a stance on Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump issues while refusing to speak up about issues related to the Chinese Communist Party.
On Monday afternoon, Cuban responded to Cruz, but he shifted the conversation to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Cuban’s first tweet reads: “I can say Black Lives Matter. I can say there is systemic racism in this country. I can say there is a Pandemic that you have done little to end. I can say I care about this country first and last”
He continued to take jabs at Cruz: “Why is it, @tedcruz, that you take such pride in standing up to and speaking truth to the Chinese, but you have no ability to stand up to and speak the truth to @realdonaltrump”
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But Cruz had the last words, at least for now, saying in a tweet that “I agree Black Lives Matter. I agree there is a pandemic & we have taken extraordinary steps to defeat it.”
“Where did that pandemic originate? Why did Communist China COVER UP the Wuhan outbreak & arrest whistle-blowers? And why are you terrified to say ONE WORD about China?”
Cruz has identified himself as a Rockets fan, not a Mavericks fan.
