LOS ANGELES -- As the Mavericks got off their bus at the University of Southern California practice gym Wednesday evening, a handful of cameras zoomed in on them, even though the players and coaches filing in for the first practice after the NBA All-Star break had nothing to do with the sudden media scrutiny.
The burgeoning scandal involving improper conduct and accusations of sexual harassment inside the Mavericks' front office has grabbed a national spotlight, at least partly because of the unanswered questions surrounding the controversy, owner Mark Cuban and former president and CEO Terdema Ussery.
Cuban, a star on Shark Tank and a potential presidential candidate in 2020, declined to be interviewed Wednesday by The Dallas Morning News as speculation continued to build about what he knew, and when, during the nearly two decades of alleged misconduct by Ussery unearthed by Sports Illustrated in Tuesday's investigative story.