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The former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, believes that NBA stars playing for national teams in major competitions, such as the Olympics and the World Cup, create huge problems for the clubs that pay them and invest in them.
The businessman from Pennsylvania led the franchise from Texas from 2000 to 2023, which was also the most successful period in Mavericks history. The club won the NBA title in 2011, but Cuban believes all of that could have been in jeopardy if one of his players had suffered a serious injury while playing for his country.
"I hated it. I complained every year, because I think that Comcast NBC, the International Olympic Committee and FIBA make billions because our players perform at the Olympic Games and World Championships. We give them away for nothing, and then we bear the consequences of the risk of injuries. There were no dramatic situations for us, but it's enough for you to know that free agents don't play rovi," said the 66-year-old Cuban.
Cuban wants the NBA World Championship
He also presented a proposal that could change the way world basketball competitions are organized.
"I would suggest to Adam Silver to send more kids to them. Our league needs to create its own world championship, like in soccer. There, the World Cup is a bigger event than the Olympics, where soccer players up to 21 or 22 years of age perform," said Cuban.
Although the American national team has achieved many successes since 1992 thanks to NBA stars (eight gold and one bronze at the OI, three gold and two bronze at the WC), there have also been unfortunate cases. The most famous is the one from 2014, when Paul George broke his leg during the preparations for the World Cup. He played only six games that season, and the Indiana Pacers failed to make the playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
English (US) ·