Triggered: NBA Firestorm Breaks Out Over the Word, ‘Owner’

You just can’t make this stuff up. Dallas Mavericks Owner and rumored 2020 presidential candidate Mark Cuban, recently took exception Draymond Green’s characterization of the word, “owner.”

After Texans Owner Bob McNair said that NFL owners allowing players to run the league, would be akin to “inmates running the prison.” Golden State forward Draymond Green said that owners should be referred to as chairmen. This way no one would get the impression that the owners actually own their players.

Because, apparently some people actually believe this?

Regardless, Mark Cuban took exception to Green’s idea. Cuban told ESPN, “For him to try to turn it into something it’s not is wrong. He owes the NBA an apology. I think he does, because to try to create some connotation that owning equity in a company that you busted your ass for is the equivalent of ownership in terms of people, that’s just wrong. That’s just wrong in every which way.”

After McNair’s comments, Green tweeted, “For starters, let’s stop using the word owner and maybe use the word Chairman. To be owned by someone just sets a bad precedent to start. It sets the wrong tone. It gives one the wrong mindset.”

Cuban responded by saying, “People who read that message and misinterpret it — make it seem like we don’t do everything possible to help our players succeed and don’t care about their families and don’t care about their lives, like hopefully we do for all of our employees — that’s just wrong.

“We own equity. We don’t own people. … I guess it’s because he went to Michigan State and didn’t take any business classes, but you own equity. When you own a team, you own equity, shares of stock. That’s called ownership. Tell him if he wants to take classes at Indiana’s business school, I’ll even pay for his classes and we’ll help him learn that stuff.”