Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, put his foot in his mouth this week during an interview with Inc. magazine. The topic of interview, which you an watch above, was racism in light of the recent Donald Sterling controversy, in which an NBA team owner was caught on tape voicing apologetic hate speech.
In trying to explain that “everyone is prejudiced in one way or another,” Cuban revealed his own prejudices and reinforced racist stereotypes.
Here is what you need to know:
1. He Said He Would Avoid Black Kids in Hoodies at Night
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In an effort to demonstrate how everyone is prejudiced in one way or another, Cuban tries to show in what ways he too is prejudiced, saying:
If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street. And if, on that side of the street, there’s a guy, that has tattoos all over his face, a white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere, I’m walking back to the other side of the street. And the list goes on of stereotypes we all live up to and are fearful of.
2. He ‘Might Have to Be a Hypocrite’ on the Donald Sterling Vote
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While discussing Donald Sterling during the interview, Cuban says he already knows how he’s going to vote when it comes time to decide whether Sterling should be forced to sell the L.A. Clippers.
He said, “You’ll find out. I know how I’m going to vote, but I’m not ready to comment on it.”
In the past, Cuban has called punishing Sterling “a very very very slippery slope” because Sterling’s thoughts were “private.”
Cuban did offer this hint on how he might vote: “The thing that scares me about this whole thing is I don’t want to be a hypocrite. And I think I might have to be.”
With Cuban admitting his own racial prejudice, does a “hypocrite” vote suggest a vote against Sterling and his racism?
3. Cuban Apologized to the Family of Trayvon Martin
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Shortly after making his comments, Cuban apologized to the family of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17-year-old from Florida who was gunned down in February 2012 after the neighborhood watchman believed him to be threatening. Trayvon, who was black, was wearing a hoodie when he died. Cuban apologized to Martin’s family for reinforcing the stereotypes that killed their son.
According to the AP, Cuban explained:
In hindsight I should have used different examples. I didn’t consider the Trayvon Martin family, and I apologize to them for that.
Cuban stood by the rest of his comments.
4. He Published Hundreds of Racist Emails on His Blog After Refusing to Fire a Black Player
In 2008, Cuban made headlines after he refused to fire Josh Howard, a basketball player on his team who was caught on video saying he didn’t celebrate the “Star-Spangled Banner” because he is black. You can watch that video above.
Cuban, who received unspeakably racist and vile emails in response to his decision, decided to publish many of them on his blog, email addresses and all. The blog post has since been taken down, but the Dallas Observer quotes Cuban writing:
Wanted to thank all of you who took the time to email me with your comments on how best to deal with Josh. They were so good, I thought I would share a few of them with everyone. Including the email addresses of those who were bold enough to use real email addresses. Josh realizes his comments were wrong, he understands why people are upset. He knows he has made a mistake, has apologized and will work with us. Beyond that, it’s a private issue.
5. Cuban Is Worth $2.6 Billion
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According to Forbes, Mark Cuban’s current net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion.