Mark Cuban’s two-word tweet, “Congrats, Pablo,” just lit up social media after the NBA dropped its official verdict on the Kawhi Leonard salary-cap circumvention controversy with the Clippers. Instead of applause for his “honorable” acknowledgment of Pablo Torre, the investigative journalist who first reported the story, Cuban is now getting absolutely hammered by NBA fans. They’re calling him out big time for flip-flopping after months of defending Steve Ballmer and the Clippers.
“Team Ballmer” Takes a Serious Hit
Let’s rewind a bit. This isn’t new news for Cuban. He played devil’s advocate from the jump when this story broke in September 2025. He was one of the few standing up for Ballmer on social media, going all-in on “Team Ballmer.” Cuban was adamant that Steve Ballmer “isn’t that dumb” to try and feed Kawhi Leonard money, especially “knowing what was at stake for him personally and his team.” He even stated, “If he did try to feed KL money, knowing what was at stake for him personally and his team, do you think he would let the company go bankrupt?”
Cuban pushed the narrative that the Clippers got “scammed by Aspiration, along with many others,” describing a massive $300 million sponsorship deal they had in 2021. He questioned Pablo Torre, saying it was “sad that Pablo Torre didn’t take the time to find out how these scammers pulled it off.” Cuban even predicted Torre’s “idea that the default is Ballmer is the bad guy is going to backfire on him.” Talk about a strong take that did not age well at all.
The Backlash Is Real, And It’s Ugly
Cuban didn’t just tweet his defense, either. He actually went on Pablo Torre’s show, “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” accepting an invitation after their social media spat. Even on the show, while giving Torre “kudos” for his sources, Cuban still dug in, saying Torre’s “conclusions you came to sh-t on Steve Balmer, and that was wrong because you didn’t have enough information to make that connection.”
Now, with the NBA’s verdict out, fans are flooding Cuban’s comment section with criticism. They’re calling him out for backtracking on his previous comments. “Man…you were so wrong in this one,” one fan wrote. Others went harder, with one asking, “Is this how billionaires say I’m sorry I slandered you prematurely?” It’s a brutal pile-on, and it highlights how publicly and strongly Cuban backed Ballmer from the start.
So, what does this mean for Mark Cuban now? His brief, two-word message to Torre, meant to be “honorable,” has instead just reignited all the fire from his earlier, very public defense of Ballmer. The NBA has issued its verdict, and Cuban’s past statements are definitely getting a serious re-read across the league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply