NBA fines Mark Cuban $50K for leaking details on rules change: Report
The NBA fined Dallas Mavericks owner and billionaire investor Mark Cuban $50,000 this week after he admitted to leaking information from a recent meeting of the league’s board of governors, according to a report on Tuesday.
The leak occurred as the NBA board of governors deliberated on whether to allow coaches to challenge calls on the court via an instant replay review. Cuban admitted to leaking information about the coaches’ challenge provision to a member of the media while the board of governors was still voting on the measure, ESPN reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
"I appreciate the irony of your reporting on a fine that someone should -- but won't -- get fined for leaking to you," Cuban told ESPN.
The NBA’s rules forbid members of the board of governors from revealing information from meetings to the press. While Cuban’s fine was not publicly announced, the NBA reportedly confirmed the decision in a memo to teams.
The NBA has fined Cuban on several occasions, for a total of well over $2 million, since he became the Mavericks’ majority owner in 2000. Cuban paid a $600,000 fine in February 2018 “for public statements detrimental to the NBA” after he said that tanking was the Mavericks’ “best option” in order to rebuild their team. He drew a $500,000 fine in 2012 after he publicly criticized league officials.
Cuban often matches his fines with donations of equal amount to charities of his choosing.
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Beginning with the 2019-20 NBA season, team coaches will be issued one challenge per game to dispute a called personal foul, an out-of-bounds violation or a goaltending call.