"A Thug": Kenyon Martin recalls Billionaire Mark Cuban's harsh words to his mother

During his NBA career, Kenyon Martin got into his fair share of scuffles. The former No. 1 pick recently talked about an incident involving Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

While on the "Gil's Arena" podcast, Kenyon Martin opened up on the altercation between him and Cuban. It didn't directly have to do with him; rather his mother. Martin cited that before a game one night Cuban approached her and called Martin a thug.

"Mark Cuban seen my mom, had something disrespectful to say, calling me a thug," Martin said. "After the game, she was visibly upset."

Martin then went into detail about how the incident fired him up to play the Dallas Mavericks. He also said that the next time they faced off, Cuban tried to avoid him.

Martin sought out the longtime owner after their next game, but he took the long way around the court to make sure they didn't encounter one another. Security eventually had to step in and make sure Martin went to the locker room after yelling a series of explicits at Cuban.

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Kenyon Martin took offence to being called a thug

Later on in the episode, Kenyon Martin spoke about what Mark Cuban's comments bothered him so much. Based on the things he's accomplished in his life, he felt there was no need for him to approach his mother and call him a thug.

"I ain't never been arrested, ain't never sold drugs, I graduated from high school, I graduated from college and I'm a professional in my field. What makes me a f****** thug?"

Martin spent four years at Cincinnati before being drafted No. 1 overall by the New Jersey Nets in 2000. He went on to spend 15 years in the NBA, spending most of that time with the Nets and Denver Nuggets. During his career, Martin was a one-time All-Star and made an All-Rookie team.

Martin's final year in the league was 2014, when he appeared in 11 games for the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, he has followed the path of many former and current players and broken into the world of podcasting.

Along with being a professional in his field, Martin has also helped his son achieve similar goals. KJ Martin was drafted in 2020, and spent the first three years of his career with the Houston Rockets. He now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers after being part of the James Harden trade.