"I think it was the dude who used to be the owner of the Mavs" - Anthony Edwards had to change his free-throw routine because of Mark Cuban's complaint

Anthony Edwards' free-throw shooting percentage is down this season, although just a little bit, at 82.3 percent after shooting over 83 percent in the previous two seasons. It's still too early in the year, and a couple more makes are going to push that number up to 83 or higher, so it's not a cause for concern.

However, Edwards says that the difference could be because he had to adjust his foul line routine after former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban criticized it a couple of months ago.

"Some famous guy went on Instagram or went on a podcast and was talking about my free throws, and he brought it to the attention of everybody, so I had to change it," said Edwards. "Now the refs are like 'You can't step over the line,' so I had to change my whole routine. I think it was the dude who used to be the owner of the Mavs - Mark Cuban."

Cuban called out Ant's free-throw routine

It was last September when Cuban was a guest on the "Road Trippin" podcast, where he complained about Edwards allegedly stepping on the free-throw line right after taking his foul shots and before the ball hits the rim, which, according to NBA rules, should be a violation.

According to Cuban, Shaquille O'Neal also used to commit this infraction back in 2001, and he sent tapes containing evidence. The league reviewed the footage that he sent, and former NBA senior vice president Stu Jackson issued a memo to the league's referees, instructing them to examine Shaq's free throw attempts more closely.

Once the refs started calling it, Shaq was forced to change his free-throw routine. It's unclear whether Mark sent tapes of Ant-Man to Adam Silver, but Edwards said he has made adjustments this season.

"I'm tryna get used to my new free throws," Edwards added. "I mean, it's no excuse, I gotta make 'em, but yeah, that's the reason it's been like, 'I don't know if they're going in or not,' cuz I got to get used to not stepping on the line. It's hard, but as much as I be in the gym, it shouldn't be that hard. I try to shoot like 200 free throws a day. I gotta get comfortable with it."

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Mark says it's not about Ant but the refs

Reacting to Edwards' interview. Cuban clarified that his complaint wasn't about the player but rather the game officials who chose to turn a blind eye despite him calling their attention to it. Mark said they tend not to pay attention to criticisms, unless you bring it up on basketball shows or podcasts.

"This has nothing to do with Ant," wrote Cuban on "X." "It was the fact that @NBAOfficial   chose not to make an easy call. That's the issue.  It's not Adam Silver telling them what to call or not. They just decide themselves."

Well, Ant went 2-2 from the foul line on Sunday in their 125-112 win over the Wemby-less San Antonio Spurs. That made Edwards an aggregate 95-115 from the foul line afterwards, or 82.6 percent, so it hasn't affected him that much, if at all.

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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.