The National Basketball Association announced on Friday that they have fined Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $500,000 for criticizing officials according to Rogers Sportsnet. Cuban reportedly expressed his displeasure of a controversial Mavericks goaltending ruling which still gave two points to the Atlanta Hawks in a 111-107 win over Dallas on February 22.
The Mavericks protested the official ruling, but lost. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ruled the Mavericks challenge was not valid.
In a tweet, Cuban said the following, “So they call a goaltend. They literally blew the whistle that it was a goaltend. There was a putback after the whistle. After review they said no goaltend but count the basket? WTF is that? That’s NBA officiating.”
There is no doubt that Cuban is one of the most famous owners in professional sports, and is never afraid to speak his mind. Also known as one of the investors on the hit American Broadcasting Company program “Shark Tank,” Cuban bought the Mavericks in 2000 from Ross Perot Jr., the son of former American presidential candidate Ross Perot.
This is not the first time Cuban has been fined for criticizing NBA officiating. He has been fined 21 times for over $3 million.
The loss of income does not seem to faze Cuban and the Mavericks. The team is seventh in the Western Conference, but comfortably in a playoff position with a record of 38 wins and 25 losses with 19 games left in the NBA regular season schedule. Dallas’s next game is against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team right below Dallas in the NBA standings, on Friday.
