Mark Cuban Fined $100K for Confronting Game Officials

Mark Cuban didn’t want NBA Commissioner David Stern to retire without earning one more fine on Stern's way out the door.

Cuban alerted the world via his Twitter account that he was fined $100,000 for his actions following Dallas’ 129-127 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 15:

After the Mavericks choked away a 17-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game, Cuban stormed onto the court to confront the officials. The league fined him on Saturday for "confronting referees and using inappropriate language toward them," per the Associated Press (via NBA.com).

This fine isn't entirely unexpected. In an interview with ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the Mavericks owner openly acknowledged his desire to earn one final fine from Stern before he retires on Feb. 1. 

"We talk about it all the time," Cuban told Stein. "I'm going to have one final fine before he leaves."

To Cuban’s credit, he plans on making sure some good comes from this latest fine:

Cuban is certainly no stranger to being on the wrong side of the league’s referees and racking up some serious fines, as noted by Stein:

It’s easy to criticize Cuban for failing to act in a professional manner courtside when the Mavericks are playing, but it’s really rather impressive that he has totaled nearly $2 million in fines since purchasing the team. That takes some real dedication on his part.

The real question now becomes whether Cuban will continue to rack up fines once Stern officially retires and deputy commissioner Adam Silver takes over.