NBA: Teams Will Play National Anthem

So much for Mark Cuban's idea of not playing the national anthem before Dallas Mavericks home games. So far this season, the Mavericks have avoided playing it, as relayed earlier by OutKick's Joe Kinsey.

However, the league has issued a direct statement, insisting that Cuban's team and the rest of the NBA must play the anthem.

“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," NBA chief communications officer Mike Bass said in a statement released Wednesday.

Cuban confirmed to several media outlets that the anthem wasn't being played at American Airlines Centeer, and that there were no plans to play it moving forward. Cuban has remained silent on the matter since the news was revealed.

Earlier Wednesday, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that a source close to Cuban said the decision "isn’t because they don’t love U.S., but because many feel anthem doesn’t represent them, and they want to continue the discussion of how to represent people from all communities when honoring the U.S. at games.”

UPDATE: The Mavericks released a statement saying they will comply with the rule, starting with Wednesday's home game against the Atlanta Hawks.