Dallas Mavericks Will No Longer Play National Anthem At Home Games

The Dallas Mavericks will no longer play the national anthem at home games, The Athletic first reported on Tuesday.

The NBA team has not played the national anthem at any of its home games this season, but it went unnoticed until Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That was the first game where fans were allowed into the American Airlines Center.

Team owner Mark Cuban made the decision to ditch the anthem before tip-off.

“It was my decision, and I made it in November,” Cuban told the New York Times.

He consulted with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and informed the rest of the league about the decision, the Dallas Morning News reported. No other teams protested the Mavs' move.

The tradition of playing the "Star Spangled Banner" at sporting events started in 1918 at a Boston Red Sox game, but NBA teams can decide to play or not play the anthem.

"Under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are permitted to run their pregame operations as they see fit," a NBA spokesperson told The Athletic.

For the franchise's first 16 seasons, the Mavs played "God Bless America" before games. It wasn't until team ownership changed in 1996 that the Mavs switched to the "Star Spangled Banner."

Photo: Getty Images