>> Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says the national anthem isn’t being played before games at American Airlines Center, and he has no plans to play it going forward. The team owner refused to comment further when reached by The Athletic. >> According to the outlet, Cuban and the team didn’t make it known they were going to remove the anthem from the pregame routine, but “a number of team employees only noticed the removal of the anthem on their own.” Those employees also say there was no explanation as to why the anthem was removed. >> Cuban, who usually isn’t shy about sharing his opinion on current events, was silent Tuesday night when The Athletic dropped its report.