Within a 48-hour time period, the NBA has celebrated the Chinese New Year while the Dallas Mavericks were attempting to cancel the Star-Spangled Banner.
On Tuesday, a report in The Athletic revealed that Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban had directed his team to stop playing the national anthem.
On Wednesday, the same day that the league overruled Cuban and issued a statement mandating that “all teams” play the anthem, the league honored their “largest fan base” by celebrating the Chinese New Year at stadiums throughout the league.
A tweet sent to Outkick’s Clay Travis revealed the league’s tribute to the Communist country:
The jokes write themselves @ClayTravis pic.twitter.com/Eknkf9p9m1
— Brennon Chapman (@BrennonChapman) February 11, 2021
The Brooklyn Nets celebrated the Lunar New Year as well, by welcoming Chinese actor Hou Minghao to serve as the Brooklyn Nets Lunar New Year Ambassador.
An official release from NBA Communications referred to the Chinese New Year festivities as a chance for the league to “pay tribute to its largest international fanbase.
The release also stated the league’s plans to have teams wear special “Chinese New Year uniforms” in the coming weeks. Uniforms that will “pay tribute to Chinese culture.”
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