Sports

NBA Says Teams Will Play The National Anthem After Dallas Mavericks Say They Won’t

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

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The NBA said teams will play the national anthem before games during the current season, according to ESPN reporter Shams Charania.

“NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass: ‘With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy,'” Charania tweeted Wednesday.

The statement from the NBA follows the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to quit playing the national anthem during pre-game. Cuban confirmed the decision Tuesday to The Athletic. (RELATED: REPORT: The Dallas Mavericks Have Stopped Playing The National Anthem During Pre-Game)

Cuban announced the team would resume playing the national anthem starting Wednesday, Charania reported.

“We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the national anthem and our country,” a statement from Cuban said, according to Charania. “I have always stood for the anthem with the hand over my heart – no matter where I hear it played. But we also hear the voices of those who do not feel the anthem represents them. We feel they also need to be respected, because they have not been heard.”

“The hope is that those who feel passionate about the anthem being played will be just as passionate in listening to those who do not feel it represents them,” Cuban reportedly continued.

The Mavericks had not played the national anthem at any of the 13 home games this season, plus had made the decision to continue not to play the song as fans returned to the arena, as previously reported.