Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he hopes to join players who take a knee during national anthem

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he'd be proud of his players who respectfully take a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, and added that “hopefully” he’d be able to join them.

Cuban did an interview on ESPN's Outside the Lines, in which he was asked about 

"If they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I'd be proud of them. Hopefully I'd join them," Cuban said.

This is a change from previous comments made by Cuban, when he said he’d be standing and expected his players to stand during the anthem.

"Because I think we've learned a lot since 2017. I think we've evolved as a country. And this is really a unique point in time where we can grow as a society," Cuban went on to say. "We can grow as a country and become far more inclusive and become far more aware of the challenges that minority communities go through."

The current NBA rules require players and coaches to stand for the national anthem.

The NBA hopes to resume its season with a 22-team format in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida.