Why is Dallas Mavericks basketball president Donnie Nelson leaving?
ON June 17, 2021, the Dallas Mavericks organization announced they would be parting ways with their general manager Donnie Nelson. Nelson spent over two decades with the franchise. Donnie Nelson an American basketball executive who is the previous general manager and president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks. He is the son of Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, who has the most wins of any coach in NBA history at 1,335. Nelson has had 36 years of NBA experience. He first started with the Mavericks organization in 1998. 3 Donnie Nelson was a Dallas Mavericks executive for over 20 years Credit: Getty  The Mavericks made the playoffs in 17 of the last 21 seasons, been to the Western Conference Finals three times, advanced to the NBA Finals twice, and won their first Championship in 2011. Since Nelson joined the franchise, the Mavericks have won 58 percent of their games with three 60+ win seasons, including a franchise-record 67-win season in 2007. Nelson's departure comes in the wake of a recent report into issues within the Mavs' front office. Star guard Luka Doni reportedly does not have a good relationship with key members of the franchise's leadership, including Haralabos Voulgaris, a highly respected sports gambler. "I just want to thank Donnie for this 24 years of service to this organization," owner Mark Cuban in a statement. "Donnie has been instrumental to our success and helped bring a championship to Dallas. His hard work, creativity and vision made him a pioneer. Donnie will always be a part of the Mavs family and I wish him all the best." 3 The Mavericks said Wednesday, June 16, 2021, the club and Nelson agreed to part ways Credit: AP  Nelson was instrumental in the club's acquisitions of Dirk Nowitzki and superstar Doni. Nelson's departure poses the question as to what will happen with Doni with the 22-year-old eligible to sign a extension expected to be worth slightly more than $200 million. Back in February 2021, Mark Cuban said that the national anthem did not represent "all communities" and the Mavericks hadn't been playing it before games. After his comments were met with much backlash, Cuban told ESPN that "we probably would have ended up playing it at some point when fans came back." Despite the backlash, Cuban was forced to reverse his ban. The decision to play the anthem came after the NBA issued a statement saying all teams must play the Star-Spangled Banner before games. After the NBA's announcement, Cuban released his own statement, saying, "We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country. But we also loudly hear the voices of those who feel that the anthem does not represent them. "We feel that their voices need to be respected and heard, because they have not been. "Going forward, our hope is that people will take the same passion they have for this issue and apply the same amount of energy to listen to those who feel differently from them." Cuban didn't elaborate on his decision not to play the anthem, which was reported by The Athletic, saying that nobody had noticed. Most read in Sport Live Blog UKRAINE VS N MACEDONIA Build-up as both sides aim to get first points on board at Euro 2020 Pictured HOME COMFORTS Koepka fiancee Jena Sims poses in bikini & says it's 'how I welcome him home' back from the brink Eriksen's X-rated first words after his dramatic resuscitation revealed WEIGHT WATCHER Tyson Fury plans to weigh staggering 300 LBS for Deontay Wilder trilogy MIKE DROP Logan Paul says 'you can't tell me I can't beat Mike Tyson' after Mayweather draw 'PROUD OF YOU' Mike Tyson admits he was wrong about Logan Paul's chance against Mayweather  The decision to cut the tradition has sparked outrage from users on social media, with some saying they were no longer fans and others calling for outright boycotts. This is the second time in under a year that Cuban has spoken out about NBA protocol. Back in June 2020, Cuban said that if NBA players on his Texas-based team decided to kneel to protest racial injustice, he'd "be proud of them."