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Mark Cuban: 'I'm Bigoted in a Lot of Different Ways'

Dallas Mavericks owner says "black kid in a hoodie" would make him cross street.

Always outspoken, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn’t one to hold back from expressing his opinions.

So, when the topics of banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his racist comments against African-Americans arose during the GrowCo business conference at the Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville on Wednesday, Cuban candidly spoke of his own prejudice.

“I know I'm prejudiced and I know I'm bigoted in a lot of different ways,” Cuban said during the conference, as reported by The Tennessean. “If I see a black kid in a hoodie on my side of the street, I'll move to the other side of the street. If I see a white guy with a shaved head and tattoos, I'll move back to the other side of the street. None of us have pure thoughts. We all live in glass houses.”

Cuban’s questionable comments have already been hot topics of debate on ESPN, with NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter even stating on the network’s Mike & Mike radio show that if he was an NBA free agent, he would request to sit down with Cuban to understand more of where he’s coming from about his comments before signing with the Mavericks.

ESPN personality Bomani Jones even engaged Cuban with a war of the words on Twitter on Thursday morning.

“Cuban did punk out with that 'i’m scared of white guys with tattoos' point, too. Not the same as a hooded sweatshirt, slugger.”

Cuban responded: “What would make you cross the street in fear late at night? Anything?”

Jones answered, “Not a person, no. As I said, if it’s like that, the person’s coming with you. I’m not that fast or in running shame. It’d be futile.”

Cuban retorted, “So you fear no one because it’s pointless to do so? Am I understanding you correctly?”

Jones: “I’m not fearless, but I’m not crossing the street. Past that, though: damn sure not cuz someone’s got a hoodie on and I says that as someone who’s been robbed at gunpoint by someone in a hoodie.”

Cuban shot back: “You’re trying to make this about a Hoodie. You know damn well it’s not. It’s about whatever makes you feel threatened.”

When asked how to keep bigotry out the NBA during the conference, Cuban offered: “You don’t. There’s no law against stupid. I’m the one guy who says don’t force the stupid people to be quiet. I want to know who the morons are.”

The billionaire entrepreneur and star of the hit television show Shark Tank also said he knows how he’s going to vote after the Sterling hearing on June 3, but is “not ready to comment on it.”

If three-fourths of the NBA’s owners vote against Sterling, he will be forced to sell the Clippers franchise.

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(Photo: Stewart F. House/Getty Images)

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