Mavs owner Cuban stops playing national anthem at home games UPDATE

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he decided before this season began not to play the national anthem before his team’s home games.

The Mavericks played their first 10 regular-season home games without fans. The club had fans for the first time in Monday’s 127-122 win over Minnesota.

Dallas is allowing 1,500 vaccinated essential workers to attend games for free.

Cuban didn’t elaborate on his decision not to play the anthem, saying nobody had noticed.

UPDATE (5:40 a.m. 2/11/21): The National Anthem was played at the American Airlines Center before a Dallas Mavericks game for the first time this season after the NBA sent a memo to all the teams enforcing the rule that the anthem must be played.

A recorded instrumental version of the anthem was played before the Mavs and Atlanta Hawks game.