NBA commissioner David Stern criticized Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on Tuesday after Cuban said the league can't help but benefit financially from the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case.
"Any suggestion that there will be some economic or promotional benefit to the NBA arising from the charge pending against Kobe Bryant is both misinformed and unseemly," Stern said in a statement issued by the league office.
"That idea does not reflect the views of the NBA, NBA owners generally, or others associated with our sport," Stern said.
Cuban, the most outspoken of the league's 29 owners, has said the NBA is bound to get an economic boost when Bryant returns to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers because it will draw the interest of casual fans and non-fans.
Bryant was due to appear in court yesterday in Eagle, Colorado, where he will be formally informed of the charges against him.
Cuban appeared on the television show Inside Edition on Monday night and said of the case: "From a business perspective, it's great for the NBA. It's reality television, people love train-wreck television and you hate to admit it, but that is the truth, that's the reality today."
He made similar comments to reporters for an article published last week, and he expounded on his belief on Tuesday in a 35-minute radio interview in New York, and in an e-mail.
"From a business perspective, the UNFORTUNATE REALITY is that in this country notoriety sells. You only need to look at Mike Tyson as the No. 1 draw in boxing as proof," Cuban wrote. "I went back and tried to find examples in the entertainment business where it hurt. I couldn't."
Cuban went on to explain that the Bryant case is a tragedy for everybody involved, along with their families. Cuban also acknowledged that the economic effect of the Bryant case is a difficult subject to discuss.
"It will draw viewers," Cuban wrote. "I'm not saying this a good thing. I'm not saying it's a positive reflection of who we are as a country. It's just reality. It sells papers, it increases TV ratings. The NBA will benefit from that."
The statement issued by Stern was the commissioner's first public upbraiding of Cuban in a while.
The NBA has fined Cuban more than US$1 million since he purchased the team in January 2000, mostly for criticizing referees, but Cuban made it through last season without incurring any fines.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two