Report: Mark Cuban consulted with retired FBI agent over officiating in 2006 Finals
Mark Cuban has owned the Mavericks since 2000 and fined over a $1 million by the NBA. (Noah Graham/Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban once consulted with a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent over the officiating in the 2006 NBA Finals, according to a report from John Canzano of The Oregonian.
Cuban is no stranger to getting into it with the league's officials. He has been fined more than $1.6 million by the NBA since taking over the Mavericks in 2000.
According to the report, Cuban was upset about the officiating in Game 5 of the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat and went on the court to complain to official Joe DeRosa. But Cuban was just getting started. After the game, he reached out to an FBI agent:
Retired FBI agent Warren Flagg, a 20-year veteran of the bureau, said he consulted with Cuban after that playoff debacle. Flagg now runs his own New York-based investigation and security firm. He looked deep into officiating, as Flagg said, Cuban was considering a lawsuit.
"Cuban asked me what he should do," Flagg said of the 2006 Finals. "I told him, 'Sue and you'll win your case,' but he knew he'd be killing the Golden Goose."
When asked about his discussions with Flagg, Cuban said: "I don't remember."
Earlier that postseason, Cuban had criticized the NBA on its method for selecting playoff officials, earning $450,000 in total fines for the two incidents.
The Mavericks lost Game 5 101-100 in overtime and went on to the lose the series in six games to the Heat, even after winning the first two games of the series.
