Mark Cuban calls out artist for 'disrespectful' mural of NBA star

American billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has called out an artist for creating what he described as a “disrespectful” mural of point guard Luka Dončić.

The Mavericks tend to rely heavily on the Slovenian basketball player’s impressive three-pointer shots to succeed on the court. He averages around 31.5 points each night this year already.

And when he doesn’t put up those monster numbers in a game, you get results like Sunday’s game against the Portland Trailblazers, which saw the team lose 140-123.

With the Mavericks’ current struggles, which sparked anger in fans who eagerly want to see them do well, one fan, artist Preston Pannek, used his painting skills to express his thoughts.

The mural, which was painted in the Deep Ellum neighbourhood of Dallas, shows Dončić donning his team jersey while holding up a sign that reads “Please Send Help.”

Surrounding the painting of the superstar basketball player are a bunch of numbers, which represent his stats from the 2023 season, including his 51-point, 9-rebound, and 6-assists against the San Antonio Spurs on 31 December.

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But Cuban didn’t receive Pannek’s artistic expression well, with the Mavs owner reportedly emailing him to call the display “disrespectful.”

“It’s disrespectful. But it’s your choice to do what you want. If that’s the way you want to be a fan. Go for it,” he reportedly wrote.

However, in a follow-up email to Pannek, Cuban didn’t acknowledge the message sent by the mural.

He did share that he appreciated Pannek’s other murals, adding that he has “artistic talent.”

Pannek admitted that he found Cuban’s response “odd” as he could’ve “invited” him to talk if he was that angry about it.

Fortunately, there is a silver lining in all this.

Taking to his Instagram on Tuesday (17 January), Pannek thanked people who did support his mural, revealing that he “blacked out” the old mural and will be creating a new one with the support of Dončić.

“Over the last 2 days, @lukadoncic , has reached out and expressed his love for our other murals in Deep Ellum. However, he has a different message for Dallas and the Mavericks fans. Today I blacked out the old mural and Luka Doncic and I will be collaborating over the next couple of weeks to bring a new one,” he wrote, in part.

Indy100 reached out to Cuban for comment.

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