Why did US senator Ted Cruz have an online tussle with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in 2020? All you need to know
It appears that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban engaged in a back-and-forth with a US Senator a few years ago.
The league has always been known to voice out their opinions on political matters and even the pettiest situations thinkable. It seemed to be a case of both politics and pettiness when Cuban engaged in a war of words with Ted Cruz on Twitter.
Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban versus US Senator Ted Cruz
Back in 2020, a Twitter war between Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and US Senator Ted Cruz took place.
Apparently, Cuban did not appreciate what Cruz had to say about the NBA. The league at the time was in a place where they felt iffy about politics in the US. The senator pointed out that he's not surprised by the NBA's ratings being at an all-time low.
"Not surprising," Senator Cruz said. "Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals."
Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke hannity.com/media-room/ano…
To be fair, the 2020 NBA Finals took place at the peak of the COVID-19 scare. The league having an all-time low in ratings is somewhat justifiable. People didn't care much about the normal and usual stuff they'd like to give their attention to. Instead, everyone was focused on how to get out of the tricky situation the coronavirus put the entire world in.
Mark Cuban immediately called him out for it. Ted Cruz is apparently a Texas local. Cuban pointed out that Cruz should be ashamed of himself for wanting his three NBA teams to do poorly.
The three teams based in Texas are the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Given that Cuban owns the Mavs franchise, it's natural that he'd become upset with Cruz's remarks.
"A US Senator with 3 NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are Ted Cruz. Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are," Cuban responded.
A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz . Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are. twitter.com/tedcruz/status…
Cruz responded to Cuban's remarks and mentioned that he fully supports all Texas-based NBA teams.
The only reason the senator was throwing shade at the league is because of how they insulted fans with a left-wing stance. He thinks that the NBA is too opinionated and should know their place in the country.
"I love Houston Rockets & have rooted for them my entire life. I happily cheer for the Spurs & Mavericks against any non-TX team. But Mark Cuban the NBA is engaged in a concerted effort to (1) insult their fans & (2) turn every game into a left-wing political lecture. That’s dumb," Cruz exclaimed.
Cuban explained that the league is only making a political stand to go against racism that's happening in the US. He pointed out that fighting for rights is never a bad thing to do. The Dallas Mavericks owner was disgusted by how the senator perceives the NBA's perspective on racism and American civil rights.
In the end, Ted Cruz didn't have anything better to say but to just insult Cuban about loving Chinese money. Obviously, the Dallas Mavericks owner made very strong points and won their Twitter debate.
Shame on me for putting American Civil Rights and Justice, creating jobs, growing our economy and healthcare reform over twitter proclamations. twitter.com/tedcruz/status…