Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is among the more outspoken in the NBA. It sometimes gets him into trouble during games, but the latest report from Adrian Wojnarowski suggests Cuban may have pushed NBA referees too far. The report states that a lawyer for the NBRA (NBA Referee’s Association) has circulated memorandums charging Mark Cuban with attempting to influence games in his favor “via threats and intimidation.”
The memorandum went further, calling Cuban’s behavior “a threat to the integrity of NBA basketball” because of his undue influence over referees' employment as an owner. The league has largely brushed off the accusations, telling The Vertical, “we have no specific response to Lee Seham, the lawyer who represents the referees union. This approach is just the latest in a series of steps Mr. Seham has taken in an attempt to undermine the necessary transparency we have brought to the game.”
The NBA has been attempting to improve the officiating quality of the NBA recently, most notably with their Last Two Minute Report on each game, which Kevin Durant recently called “bullshit.”
Cuban fired back at the referee’s union, retorting, “to suggest I have influence is to suggest that the NBA officials can be influenced. If an official can be influenced by pressure from anyone, they should not be in the NBA.” Wow.
For what it’s worth, Cuban has definitely been a dick to refs throughout the years. In his time as the Mavericks owner, he’s accrued over $1 million in fines. Read the whole report, including lots of gritty details of Cuban cursing out referees, over at The Vertical.