Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban may not be as visible as he was in the past years, but he remains highly invested in the NBA, particularly with the changes the league continues to implement under commissioner Adam Silver.
On Wednesday, the NBA approved the rule to count end-of-quarter heaves or shots taken within the final three seconds of the first three quarters launched from at least 36 feet away as a team attempt. It is meant to encourage players to attempt bold shots, which could lead to more highlights.
Speaking of which, Silver stressed that highlights have become part of today's viewership culture, saying it's another way for fans to be entertained amid the hiking of ticket prices.
“Adam Silver was asked about the rising cost to watch a season of NBA games as a fan of a particular team, considering all the games on either cable or streaming services. He said that there a bunch of games that will go on free, broadcast TV, and that fans can also consume the league in other ways besides watching games, noting that the NBA is a highlight league,” wrote ESPN's Rachel Nichols on X.
Cuban, however, wasn't too sold on Silver's statement, although he still expressed his vote of confidence for the league's top honcho.
“Adam definitely whiffed on this one. But I can tell you that, unless a lot has changed in the last 20 months, he is one of the people standing up for fans in a room where a lot of owners are not,” said Cuban, while reposting Nichols' tweet.
In a separate post, he added: “Since local TV broadcasts have imploded, most teams are offering free local broadcasts. So fans can see their team except on the national exclusives.”
It's worth noting that the Mavericks upped their ticket prices by 8.5% for the upcoming season following the exit of Luka Doncic. The team cited “ongoing investments” and “fan engagement” as the main reasons for the increase.
Ticket prices have exponentially increased over the years, especially in games featuring big-name players. According to an independent report, the league-wide average was $53 last season.
