During the ongoing fanfare and excitement for Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban decided to share his feelings. To Cuban, NBA players shouldn't participate in the Olympics. He continually argues that the NBA is “subsidizing” the U.S. Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee (IOC) by lending the players under contract with NBA teams to the for-profit entities and that they are risking stars, like Kevin Durant, getting injured during the Summer Games.
Instead, Cuban calls for USA Basketball to adopt the Olympic soccer rule that limits participation in men's competitions to players not older than 23 (except for three overage players). He may also want the IOC to prevent professionals from participating in basketball competitions altogether.
While Cuban agreed that allowing NBA players to join the 1992 Olympics was the right thing to do, he believes the time to change that was 20 years ago. Cuban made it clear in an interview with Carmelo Anthony during the Tokyo Games 2021 that he loves the Olympics and is rooting for the NBA's stars. He is concerned with the short turnaround of the NBA season and the Olympics.
Which Mavericks are playing in the Olympics?
Although he's one of the best players in the world, Luka Doncic is surprisingly not playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Doncic played for Slovenia in the qualifying tournament despite steering the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals while nursing injuries. Unfortunately, Doncic and Slovenia's Olympic bid fell short, losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece earlier in the month. Now, all Doncic can do is rest and recover, waiting for the upcoming NBA season to begin.
But even if Doncic isn't playing, two Mavericks are still participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dwight Powell, one of the many NBA players representing Canada, is the only Dallas player actively participating in Olympic action, starting at center in Canada's win over Greece. In 21 minutes, Powell scored 6 points on perfect shooting, four rebounds, and five fouls.
Another Maverick, Dante Exum, is on the Australian roster; however, it's unclear if he will play in the Olympics after sustaining a dislocated finger during one of the squad's warm-up contests. Exum said he's doing better, but there still isn't a firm timeline for him to return to the court for the Boomers.
Even without Exum, Australia easily defeated Spain 92-80. Jock Landale carried the Boomers against Spain, finishing the game with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and one steal in 28 minutes of action.
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