Mavs owner Mark Cuban says ESPN credential decision was, 'My call'

— -- LOS ANGELES -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reiterated his stance that he will keep two ESPN reporters away from his team's home games, saying it's his choice to credential them, not the NBA's.

"My call," he said Tuesday from Staples Center, when asked about who controls media access at his team's games in Dallas. Asked if the league could intervene, he added: "They could probably try, but I don't know why they would."

Cuban banned the ESPN reporters from entering games with media credentials on Friday and Sunday, saying he was unhappy the network would not have a reporter cover the team full time. On Monday, he told The Associated Press that he is concerned automated game reports could eventually replace human-generated content. ESPN.com uses game recaps from The Associated Press, which said it sends at least one human writer to every NBA game.

ESPN writer Tim MacMahon is a Dallas-based reporter who has primarily covered the Mavericks for the network. He is also assigned to several other teams and stories as news warrants. Marc Stein is a national NBA reporter, also based in Dallas. MacMahon covered Tuesday's game in Los Angeles. The reporters cover news, write features and provide analysis for all ESPN platforms.

Earlier Tuesday night, MacMahon and Stein issued a statement through the network, thanking colleagues and fans for their support, and adding: "The circumstances that led the Mavericks to deny us entry to their home games remain very difficult to understand, given that the NBA has always been one of the most media-friendly leagues in the world. Yet we're hopeful that a resolution is near. Until then, nothing about the objective and aggressive manner in which we cover the league and its teams will change."

Cuban said Tuesday that he has been in contact with ESPN and NBA commissioner Adam Silver about the issue, but he said he believes in his stance that ESPN should cover all of his team's games.