Mavs owner Mark Cuban was heavily criticised when a Sports Illustrated investigation uncovered long-running sexual harassment within the organisation earlier this year.
After all, Cuban is famously the most hands-on owner in the league and not everyone was buying his cries of ignorance.
More than six months later, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said Cuban was never punished by the league in part because an investigation into the matter concluded he wasn’t directly implicated in the ongoing harassment.
“That was an important factor for me in making that decision,” Silver said on Friday, per ESPN.
“Should he have known in many cases? Absolutely.
“But again, from the 215 witness interviews, the over a million pages [of documents in the report], the clear picture that was presented was Mark was absentee from the business side of the organization.
“So that was a critically important factor.”
Silver said Cuban’s transparency following the scandal also played a part.
“That to me is an example that I don’t see in any other industry, where someone is willing to put themselves out that way and be that forthcoming and act and be that responsive,” Silver said.
“So given the totality of those circumstances, I ultimately decided that a suspension was not appropriate.”
Cuban has since agreed to donate $10 million to women’s and domestic violence organisations.
The initial Sports Illustrated report described “a corporate culture rife with misogyny and predatory sexual behaviour” that spanned decade and included numerous allegations against former CEO and president Terdema Ussery.
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