Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Marvericks, caused a stir when he admitted that he has bigoted thoughts and prejudices of his own when talking about Donald Sterling’s recent ban from the NBA.

While speaking at the Inc. GrowCo conference, Cuban was asked about his feelings regarding NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to ban LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the NBA and force him to sell his shares of the team. Cuban, who had already publicly shared his doubts on forcing Sterling out of the NBA completely.

Mark Cuban: 'We're All Prejudice'

While he condemned Sterling’s comments and worldview, Cuban was quick to say that he didn’t want to be a hypocrite, and explained that he believes that everyone has some prejudice thoughts, no matter how small or how buried.

“We’re all prejudice one way or another. If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street. And if on that side of the street, there’s a guy that has tattoos all over his face – white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere – I’m walking back to the other side of the street,” Cuban said.

It was these comments that took the Internet by storm, causing many to attack Cuban as a bigot and a racist. The issue of racial profiling, while nothing new, has drawn widespread attention, especially since Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman in 2012, seemingly just because he was wearing a hoodie and Zimmerman thought he looked suspicious. When critics pointed out that Cuban’s comments might be interpreted as especially insensitive and offensive due to the recent tragedy of Trayvon Martin, Cuban issued an apology to Trayvon Martin’s family, but refused to disavow his other assertions on bigotry.

Mark Cuban Apologizes To Trayvon Martin's Family

“In hindsight I should have used different examples. I didn’t consider the Trayvon Martin family, and I apologize to them for that. Beyond apologizing to the Martin family, I stand by the words and substance of the interview. I think that helping people improve their lives, helping people engage with people they may fear or may not understand, and helping people realize that while we all may have our prejudices and bigotries we have to learn that it’s an issue that we have to control, that it’s part of my responsibility as an entrepreneur to try to solve it,” Cuban wrote in a series of tweets on Thursday.

Mark Cuban's Full Comments

Though many were quick to jump on the sound bite of “If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it’s late at night, I’m walking to the other side of the street,” Cuban clearly stated that he recognizes his own prejudices for what they are: wrong.

“No one has pure thoughts… but it’s about recognizing when you have thoughts that aren’t right,” he explained during the conference.

Cuban was attempting to point out how small prejudices exist in almost everyone, and that fact caused him to be hesitant of the NBA’s treatment of Donald Sterling. Cuban believes that, rather than force Sterling out of the NBA, the organization should try to influence a change in Sterling’s views, as he would if it were his business.

“I try not to be hypocritical. I know I’m not perfect, I know that I live in a glass house and it’s not appropriate for me to throw stones. So, when I run into bigotry in business I control, I try to find solutions. I’ll work with people, I’ll send them to training… I’ll try to give them a chance to improve themselves… While we all have our prejudices and bigotries, we have to learn that it’s an issue that we have to control, that it’s part of my responsibility as an entrepreneur to try to solve it, not just to kick the problem down the road,” Cuban added.

Though he stands by Silver’s decision to ban Sterling from the NBA, he sees the situation as “a slippery slope” and added that there will always be prejudice in the NBA, saying, “You can’t keep that ugliness out of the league. There’s no law against stupid – I learned that a long time ago.”

Cuban has been engaging with reporters and fans alike on Twitter, attacking reporters for their contrived headlines, and defending himself against critics.

More on Mark Cuban and Donald Sterling:

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_{> Donald Sterling Denies He's Racist, Claims He Was 'Baited' Into Making Controversial Comments}

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.