Mark Cuban Wants the NBA to Put Ads on Player Jerseys

We already know that the NBA is seriously considering placing advertisements on jerseys, and it turns out that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is a big fan of the idea, as are some of his players. He views it as a no-brainer for a League that’s looking for new revenue streams. From the Star-Telegram: “The NBA Board of Governors will meet next month to discuss the possibility of adding advertising on jerseys. The idea has been met with much support from players and coaches. Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also said it’s an idea whose time has come. ‘I’ve been trying to tell [the NBA],’ Cuban said. ‘If someone wants to give us $10 million, I’ll make it happen.’ Cuban believes NBA commissioner David Stern can be convinced that putting ads on jerseys is a viable concept for the league. ‘If the amount’s enough, David will jump up and down,’ Cuban said. ‘He’s not going to do it for $200,000 from Power Balance, but if somebody offers us $25 million, it’s done. We just have to work out the split with all the teams so everybody gets the benefits.’ Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki is accustomed to seeing ads on basketball jerseys in his native country of Germany. European basketball teams have worn ads on their jerseys for years. ‘I think we all understand the NBA, by now, is one of the biggest businesses in the world,’ Nowitzki said. ‘And if that’s a business decision, I don’t think it’s a bad one.’ Mavericks center Ian Mahinmi also saw more than his share of ads on jerseys in his native country of France. ‘For me, coming from overseas, I’m used to that,’ Mahinmi said. ‘The team I used to play for had a bunch of commercials on their jersey, so it’s nothing that I haven’t seen.’ Mahinmi, however, believes NBA jerseys should be considered sacred and shouldn’t be tampered with. ‘Ads on an NBA jersey, it’s got to be a little weird,’ Mahinmi said. ‘Growing up, you’re used to see the NBA and the city and the name of the team [on the jersey]. That’ll be something new and that’ll be a little unusual.'”