Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban advised President Donald Trump to prepare for “blowback” for his call to have NFL players who refuse to stand for the national anthem “fired or suspended.”
“If the president’s going to say something condemning a person, an industry, a sport, then he’s got to be able to take the blowback that’s going to come back,” Cuban told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“So LeBron [James] and Steph [Curry] and any athlete, any owner, it’s an open door now, and so they have every right for the same reasons to be able to say whatever’s on their mind,” he added. “Now we’ll be able to see if he can take it.”
Trump kicked up his ire against athletes who kneel during “The Star Spangled Banner” to protest racial injustice during a Sunday morning Twitter rant, calling for players who refuse to stand for the national anthem be “fired or suspended” and suggested a fan boycott of NFL games.
Cuban, who once volunteered to be Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate, spoke of Trump to Extra in June 2016, saying, “It’s rare that you see someone get stupider before your eyes, but he’s really working at it. So you gotta give him credit. It’s not an easy thing to do, but he’s accomplished it.”
Over the past nearly two years, Trump and the billionaire investor of ABC’s “Shark Tank” have fought in a war of words on Twitter with back and forth jabs.
Check out the video interview below.
15 Business Reality Stars Who Are Rolling in Dough (Photos)
Trump's flamboyant lifestyle, outspoken personality and hit NBC reality show "The Apprentice" have made him a household name. His net worth is estimated at $4-dollars and in 2011 he was No. 17 on the 2011 Forbes Celebrity 100 list.
NBC
Lebanese-born American businessman Marcus Leminos is the chairman and CEO of Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises and the star of CNBC's "The Profit." Worth about $150 million, Lemonis has already doled out $23 million of his own money on his show thus far.
CNBC
British celebrity chef Robert Irvine has appeared on a variety of Food Network programs including "Dinner: Impossible," "Worst Cooks in America," "Restaurant: Impossible" and "Restaurant Express." He's also served aboard Her Majesty's Royal Yacht Britannia and even whipped up some of his creations in the West Wing of the White House. His stints on camera and off have earned him a cool $15 million.
The Food Network
Known for orchestrating the $10,000 martini, Anthony Melchiorri's has been described by the New York Times as a "capeless crusader." The star of Travel Channel's "Hotel: Impossible" leads a team of problem solvers to save flailing businesses. His net worth is estimated at $2 million.
Travel Channel
Mark Cuban made his fortune selling video portal Broadcast.com to Yahoo for $5.7 billion in 1999. Now the star of "Shark Tank's" is worth $3 billion and is the celebrated owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
ABC
Canadian entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary's The Learning Company was acquired by Mattel in 1999 in a $3.8 billion stock swap. Sales and earnings for Mattel soon plummeted. But the "Shark Tank" star is laughing his way to the bank, where his account boasts a whopping $400 million.
ABC
Croatian-born businessman Robert Herjavec sold his tech company, BRAK systems, to AT&T in 2000 for $30.2 million. These days the "Shark Tank" star is reportedly worth $200 million.
ABC
In 2001, Barbara Corcoran sold her real-estate company for $66 million. The "Shark Tank" star's net worth is estimated at $80 today.
ABC
Daymond John, the founder and CEO of clothing company FUBU is worth $250 million. John started his business selling homemade hats for $10. Since then, FUBU has amassed over six billion dollars in global revenue.
ABC
Known as "The Queen of QVC," "Shark Tank's" Lori Grenier holds 120 patents, including a box for earrings that she created. Her net worth is estimated at $50 million.
ABC
"Million Dollar Listing's" Fredrik Eklund amassed an estimated $30 million thanks to his real-estate dealings. Prior to his Bravo stint, Eklund had a rising career as an adult film star.
Bravo
After being booted off Bravo's hairstyling reality competition, "Shear Genius," Tabatha Coffey hit it big with "Tabatha's Salon Takeover," which ran on the network for five seasons. As of now, the Bravo has not renewed the show for a sixth season. But no worries, Coffey's fortune is estimated at $6 million.
Bravo
Former hedge fund manager and best-selling author Jim Cramer has been the go-to financial guru since he landed his own show, "Mad Money," on CNBC in 2005. The co-founder of TheStreet.com is worth an estimated $100 million.
CNBC
Following her release from prison in March 2005, Martha Stewart returned to daytime television with “The Martha Stewart Show” and “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” The latter received poor ratings and was pulled off the air after one season. Today Stewart's fortune is estimated at $300 million.
NBC
Chef Gordon Ramsay, whose restaurants have been awarded 15 Michelin stars, broke into reality TV with his fix-a-restaurant show "Kitchen Nightmares." In 2005, he started stirring up drama and controversy in Fox's hit show "Hell's Kitchen," now in its 14th season. His net worth is estimated at $120 million.
Fox
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From Donald Trump’s $4 billion empire to Mark Cuban’s NBA franchise, TheWrap takes a look at some of TV’s richest entrepreneurs
Trump's flamboyant lifestyle, outspoken personality and hit NBC reality show "The Apprentice" have made him a household name. His net worth is estimated at $4-dollars and in 2011 he was No. 17 on the 2011 Forbes Celebrity 100 list.
NBC
CNBC
