Sen. Ted Cruz mixes it up with Mark Cuban over kneeling during the anthem and the NBA's cozy relationship with China

All of this began with a tweet by Townhall’s Mark Davis on Sunday:

I am so ready to be be in on this year's #Mavericks home stretch: so much promise, so much personality. But the minute one player kneels during the anthem, I am OUT. Surely @mcuban can lead the way for #Mavs, #NBA to do whatever gesture they wish without insulting the nation. https://t.co/PWMWrpgwAc

— Mark Davis (@MarkDavis) July 20, 2020

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban replied curtly:

Bye https://t.co/NUwv7asO44

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020

Sen. Ted Cruz thought that Cuban could have elaborated a bit rather than just kissing off a fan:

Really??!?

NBA is telling everyone who stands for the flag, who honors our cops and our veterans, to “piss off”? In Texas, no less?

Good luck with that. pic.twitter.com/AVWLMZIqu0

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020

That got the back-and-forth started.

Have some balls for once @tedcruz. Speak to me. It's my tweet. https://t.co/QGza2qWoRR

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020

Speaking of balls, tell us what you think about China.

I’ll wait. https://t.co/s68JYk9MLR

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020

Ouch … as we all know, the NBA and China have a special relationship. As Twitchy reported recently, the NBA announced that players would be able to show social-justice statements on the backs of their jerseys; however, the website that allowed fans to customize their own jerseys blocked the phrase, “Free Hong Kong.”

Still no answer from @mcuban

Let’s try simpler. Mark, tough guy, can you say “Free Hong Kong”?

Can your players put that on their jerseys?

Can you condemn the CCP’s concentration camps w/ 1 million Uyghurs?

Can you say ANYTHING other than “Chairman Mao is beautiful & wise”? https://t.co/0XpLRaFSw2

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2020

Damn, this is getting personal.

If you think I wont criticize China and what they do as it concerns American Citizens watch this https://t.co/RXEJxjMeO8 and this movie https://t.co/U5NnAwTFbQ. But I have never gotten involved in the domestic policies of ANY foreign country. We have too much to do here. And..

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020

Why is it, @tedcruz, that you take such pride in standing up to and speaking truth to the Chinese, but you have no ability to stand up to and speak the truth to @realdonaldtrump ?

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 20, 2020

But Trump! We believe the challenge was to say, “Free Hong Kong.”

Just say it, you coward.

— Noam Blum (@neontaster) July 20, 2020

Just say it then.

— Kwisatz Haderach ?? (@GardTigger) July 20, 2020

Cop out.

— Golden in NM (@NMGoldensEagle) July 20, 2020

Silence is violence.

— Amrond Thardell (@amrond99) July 20, 2020

Okay, then simply type the words #FreeHongKong

Show that the NBA, and its owners, aren't being silenced by the #CCP and aren't putting profits before the people being targeted, harassed, imprisoned, and killed by the Chinese Communist Party.

It isn't hard, Mark.

— Fmr. Sheriff Mark Curran ?? (@ElectMarkCurran) July 20, 2020

So you won’t say a bad word about China (or ANY country’s) internal ethnic cleansing and crushing dissent, but when the CCP starts threatening the stability of billionaires’ investments, you’ll chime in?! Gross.

It’s possible to dunk on China AND Trump. They’re both awful.

— Kirk Laughlin (@KirkLaughlinKY) July 20, 2020

Rounding up an entire ethnic group and cattle carring them all to concentration camps is not what most decent people would consider to be “domestic policy”.

— Charlie Waffles (@insanitypundit) July 20, 2020

Just to be clear, this is the “domestic policies”
pic.twitter.com/MPTHT0ghWr

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 20, 2020

Shouldn’t be too hard to both dunk on Cruz and criticize the Chinese for rounding up an ethnic minority and putting them in torture camps.

— Nate Igor Smith (@drivenbyboredom) July 20, 2020

Domestic policies?!? You make it out like Cruz and others are concerned whether they're adequately funding their light rail infrastructure or something! My god, what a horrible deflection on your part.

— Matt (@matt0999) July 20, 2020

Hey can fans wear “Free Hong Kong” or “Free the Uighurs” t-shirts to Mavericks games? If not, why not?

— Mr. Very Online (@mrveryonline) July 20, 2020

Mark we’re not talking about trade deals or leveraging IPOs. We’re talking about the CCP’s infringements on civil rights in Hong Kong, concentration camps for Uighur Muslims, and God only know what else human rights abuses that you NBA lackeys remain tight-lipped about

— The Stealthy Cynic (@StealthyCynic) July 20, 2020

Tiptoeing around crimes against humanity to protect a business partner… think we’ve heard enough from you today, Mark

— Andrew (@absmith_12) July 20, 2020

Mark Cuban, shark tankie pic.twitter.com/tlHwOFd2Qq

— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) July 20, 2020

And too much money to make there? Talk about no balls. So you'll take their money, but somehow believe that doesn't involve you in their domestic lives? There's a word for that..

— Scott Garee (@GareeTheGray) July 20, 2020