Mark Cuban says NBA ownership has become too corporate since he first entered the league:
“When I came in, I was the young guy, and all the old school owners just hated my ass. Hated me.”
“There was one guy, the guy who owned the Pistons, and I had already gotten fined a couple of times. I had not even owned the team for six months.”
“I stood up at a board meeting, and he was like, ‘Shut your motherfucking ass up until you have done something in this league.’”
“Then I started to respond to him, and I called him by the wrong name. David Stern had to step in.”
“As those guys got out, people came in who were more like me. They loved the game. They were more vocal and more connected to the players.”
“Now, it is PE guys, and it is run much more like a business than it is as a passion.”