Prior to Tuesday night’s game that saw the Lakers all but knock the Mavericks out of postseason contention, Dallas owner Mark Cuban had a few words to say about former L.A. head coach Phil Jackson. Cuban and Jackson have had their verbal sparring sessions before, and since Cuban isn’t exactly one to keep his mouth shut, he decided to start things up once again.
——–Celebrate Shaq’s jersey retirement with this Shaquille O’Neal wallpaper!——–
According to Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times, Cuban made a few comments about Jackson and his impending marital status with Lakers executive Jeanie Buss.
“I have great respect for Phil, Jeanie’s husband, as he’ll be now be known,” Cuban said. “Someone’s got to be the first housewife of the Lakers.”
Cuban’s comments were all in good fun, but whenever he takes a verbal jab at the Lakers (or someone who used to be associated with them) it’s going to make news. Odds are Phil will respond in kind to Cuban’s comments, but both guys understand there isn’t any vitriol directed in this case.
In fact, Cuban went on to say how much he enjoys his media battles with Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal, saying he misses having those guys in the league.
“Like Shaq, they’re both part of what makes the NBA unique. There’s not a lot of personalities that really define themselves — not just by their accomplishments on the court, but by their wit and intelligence off the court.”
While many fans despise Cuban for his boisterous attitude, there’s no doubt he’s good for the NBA. He keeps things interesting and has fun in the process, something I feel we all would do if we were NBA team owners. So while Cuban may be a bit fanatical about his Mavericks and say some things that will rub other fans the wrong way, his knowledge and respect for the game of basketball is obvious.
Although it does look like Cuban will be watching the playoffs from home this summer.
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In case you missed it, be sure to check out Shaq’s jersey retirement press conference!
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