“With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming back fans into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy.”
"In keeping with longstanding league policy," the NBA announced on Wednesday that they would be requiring all teams to play the national anthem prior to games, Fox News reports.
"With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming back fans 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.
The announcement comes one day after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced that the team was no longer playing the national anthem prior to home games.
Cuban never formally announced the change, but confirmed that the team had abandoned the practice after it was noticed that the Star Spangled Banner had not been played at any home games during the season. He declined to provide a reason for abandoning it.
Cuban had previously expressed support for players kneeling during the national anthem, saying "if they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I'd be proud of them. Hopefully I'd join them."
The revelation drew outrage from conservatives, who argued that the anthem is an important symbol of national unity, especially important in a time of great division.
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