In a video that’s since gone viral, Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, had a completely stunned reaction when he found the NBA was suspended indefinitely due to Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert testing positive for the coronavirus.
The announcement was made during the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets game on Wednesday night.
In an interview with Tom Rinaldi of ESPN, Cuban explained his initial reaction to finding out about the suspension.
“This is crazy,” Cuban said. “This can’t be true. It’s not in the realm of possibility. It just seems more out of a movie than reality.”
The decision made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came right before the tip-off and indefinite postponement of the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder game set to take place Wednesday night.
“I trust Adam,” Cuban stated. “You know what? It’s really not about basketball or money. Literally, if this thing is just exploding to the point where all of sudden players and others have it, you think about your family. You want to make sure you are doing this the right way. Now, it is much more personal. You see what is happening in other countries. …The fact that it has come this close and potentially have it, just stunning isn’t the right word.”
After the game, where the Mavericks beat the Nuggets (117-97), Cuban addressed employees of the Mavericks organization and explained wanting to help those affected by the indefinite suspension, in a post-game press conference.
“When some of the things were coming up, that we might not play games, and this was yesterday, I reached out to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to financially support people who aren’t going to be able to come to work,” he explained. “They get paid by the hour, and this was their source of income, and so we’ll do some things there. We may ask them to go do some volunteer work in exchange. We’ve already started the process of having a program in place. I don’t have any details to give, but it’s certainly something that’s important to me.”
