Fined $100,000
The NBA fines Cuban for violating the league’s anti-tampering rules with comments made in an interview with CNNMONEY.com about recruiting LeBron James to the Mavericks. Cuban is punished for failing to adhere to the details of a 2008 memo sent to all 30 NBA teams:
If a member of your organization is asked by the media about a potential free agent prior to the July 1 following the last season covered by the player’s contract, or about any other person under contract with another NBA team, the only proper response is to decline comment.