Speaking up against your boss can feel risky. After all, they have so much control over your career, giving them plenty of room for retaliation. However, in high-pressure environments like pro sports, challenging the status quo is sometimes the only way to make a positive change.
In June 2006, the legendary Dirk Nowitzki understood this — and voiced his opinion. At the time, the Dallas Mavericks star criticized team owner Mark Cuban for constantly arguing with referees. The reason? Dirk believed Mark’s behavior was distracting the team and negatively affecting the referees.
When the owner becomes the headline
When Cuban took over the then-struggling Mavericks in early 2000, it quickly became clear this wasn’t going to be business as usual.
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Unlike most NBA owners who keep a low profile, the Pennsylvania native soon stood out with his strong courtside presence and hands-on style. During games, Cuban came across as an enthusiastic fan, fully invested in every play and moment with his team, rather than just an owner.
This high-energy approach helped change the culture in Dallas and marked the start of a new era for the franchise, but it also stirred up controversy. Simply put, Mark’s emotions during games sometimes took over, especially in tense moments.
A clear example came during the Mavericks‘ 2006 NBA Finals series against the Miami Heat, particularly in the tight Game 5, where the owner’s animated reactions and frustration with the referees were impossible to miss.
Cuban’s outbursts rattled his own team
At the time, NBA Commissioner David Stern was growing increasingly frustrated with the successful businessman’s antics, seeing them as a distraction from the clean image he was determined to shape for the league.
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Stern responded quickly, handing the team owner a $250,000 fine for his outbursts. But that wasn’t the only reaction. Cuban’s behavior even led the team’s star player, Nowitzki, to speak out.
The 2007 MVP knew that games could already be stressful enough, and extra distractions from the sidelines — namely from Mark — didn’t help at all. In fact, it set a bad example for him and his fellow players as they tried to stay calm themselves.
“We can’t lose our temper all the time on the court or off the court, and I think he’s (Cuban) got to learn that, too,”explained “Dirty.” “He’s got to improve in that area and not yell at the officials the whole game.”
The German seven-footer also pointed out that this kind of behavior could, even if only subconsciously, affect how referees officiated the Mavs.
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“The game starts and he’s already yelling at [the officials],” said Nowitzki. “He needs to learn how to control himself a little better. If somebody’s in your ear constantly… I’d be [ticked] off if I were an official.”
According to ESPN, Dirk wasn’t the only Maverick who sometimes had issues with those antics. In the past, swingman Michael Finley and point guard Steve Nash reportedly even asked their team owner to watch games from a suite instead of his usual seat near the Mavericks’ bench — probably for the same reasons mentioned above.
The request, if true, made sense. After all, as reported, Cuban’s behavior — from buying the Texan franchise to losing the NBA Finals in 2006 — had already cost him over $1.5 million in fines.