INDIANAPOLIS – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver held his annual All-Star Weekend press conference Saturday night and his first public comments since selling the Mavericks from Mark Cuban to the Adelson-Dumont family in Las Vegas on Dec. 27. was held.
In response to questions from dallas morning newsSilver detailed Cuban's “incredible influence” during his 24 years as Mavericks governor, calling him “an owner who truly changed the course of this league.”
the first part of news' The question sought Silver's opinion on Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont's purchase of a 69% stake in the Mavericks and whether that sale signals a deepening relationship between the NBA and the gaming industry. .
Adelson is the largest shareholder in Las Vegas Sands, a global casino and resort company. Her son-in-law, Dumont, is the company's president and chief operating officer.
Does the sale of the Mavericks signal a deepening relationship between the NBA and the gaming industry, following Golden Nuggets casino owner Tilman Fertitta's acquisition of the Houston Rockets in 2017? Silver's short answer is “no.”
“They care about the game,” Silver said of Adelson and Dumont. “But those are irrelevant to their interest in owning a team. As I always say, you're like working your day job.
“That's one of the reasons we have a pay system in place so that no matter what you do off the court, you're independent of the rules you're operating under. Our Game Rules All of this applies to the Adelson-Dumont family as much as any other team.”
Silver mentioned Dumont's lifelong love of basketball. Dumont, 49, said recently. news In an exclusive interview, he said that growing up in Brooklyn, he and his friends played basketball nonstop.
Dumont also said news The Adelson-Dumont family has attempted to purchase NBA teams numerous times over the past decade.
“He's someone who's been talking to the league for years about possible ownership of the team. About their level of interest,” Silver acknowledged.
“They operate on a global scale,” he added of Sands, which has 45,000 employees. “Everything I said earlier, [in Saturday’s press conference] They're very focused on the NBA in terms of its great attributes. ”
Silver, who joined the league in 1992 and replaced David Stern as commissioner in 2014, was full of praise for Cuban, who bought control of the Mavericks from Ross Perot Jr. in January 2000. .
“He's had an incredible impact on this league,” Silver said. “I've been involved with the league throughout his ownership. From the early days of the league, he pushed us hard. He came in as a technician.”
Silver noted that Cuban was a panelist when the NBA held its first Technology Summit in San Francisco in February 2000.
It didn't take long for Cuban to become a vocal critic of NBA referees, yelling at them directly during Mavericks games and frequently sending them to league officials. Over the years, he has been fined at least 20 times totaling $2.4 million.
“He's someone I've had a very close relationship with over the years,” Silver said. “Although there was some back and forth between Mark and David, [Stern] In public, and to a lesser extent with me, there has always been a very respectful relationship.
“Early on, I think he really pushed us by focusing more on technology, but also on the marketing organization side of things, which he always cared about.
“Certainly on the basketball side and aside from the public stuff, I know he cares a lot about the officiating program. Again, we've been working together behind closed doors.”
Mr. Silver smiled and said he would let Mr. Cuban speak for himself about whether his more than 20 years of criticism had had the desired effect on the quality of officiating.
“I'm not saying we've satisfied him all this time,” Silver said. “He was unhappy with different aspects of the game.
“But he was an owner who really changed things in this league. And he had great success. Obviously, [2011] Not just a championship, but also a competitive team for most of his tenure. And he was very active in league matters, whether it was on the media committee or the board of directors, and he didn't shy away from voicing his opinion. ”
Although his ownership in the Mavericks has decreased to 27%, Cuban said in an interview: news sources said he maintained control of the Mavericks' basketball operations after the acquisition.
However, Dumont emphasized that: news While Nico Harrison will work closely with Cuban and respect his input, Nico Harrison will run basketball operations as the team's general manager and Dumont will have final say as team governor.
“Even though he's no longer the team's general manager, we're very happy that he's still a very important investor in the Dallas Mavericks,” Silver said of Cuban. “As he made clear, he's not going anywhere.
“Just watching the game, it looks like he's still standing in the same spot he was when he was governor. And when he has something he'd like to share with us, he'll send us a text message or an email, or he'll be with the league. I keep calling the office.”
Read more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
