Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban announced that the team will be offering free heart exams for any former Mavericks player over the age of 50 who spent at least two seasons with the team.
Cuban said this in a statement:
“We have had several tragedies in the NBA family recently with the passing of several legends at a young age,”
Just this year the issues of heart disease have claimed the lives of four former NBA players — Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Anthony Mason, and Jack Haley.
“The Mavs want to be proactive to inform and educate our alumni about potential health concerns they may face as they age. To this end, we will be paying for advanced screening for heart disease for our former Mavs over the age of 50.”
The Mavericks’ organization is contacting all 33 former players to arrange a doctor’s appointment near the player’s home and cover the costs of the screening if interested. The screening consists of an EKG, stress echo, blood profile and office visit. In the event the test comes back with anything other than ‘All Clear,’ the team will not commit to paying for any further care. However, they will assist in finding the ongoing healthcare necessary to treat the condition.
Cuban recently commented about his team having the potential to be better than last season if they are healthy. Apparently his concern for health is even broader, and given the ongoing history of this issue for NBA players and men in general, this is a needed service.
