Mark Cuban takes dig at president with uniform No. 46

NEW ORLEANS — Mark Cuban apparently had a uniform response to President Donald Trump’s recent tweet that the Dallas Mavericks’ owner was “not smart enough to run for president.”

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Competing in Friday night's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, Cuban wore a No. 46 jersey. A source told ESPN that the jersey number, which would represent the number of the next president of the United States, was a likely response to Trump, the 45th president.

Cuban initially said that his favorite number, 23, was taken and that "23 times 2 is 46," ESPN reported. No one on the West celebrity squad wore No. 23, however.

He later said that his choice was "just to (mess) with everybody, because that is what I do.”

"You've got to have fun with it. You can't take it too seriously,” Cuban told ESPN. “So we'll see."

Cuban had hinted about his uniform number earlier Friday, ESPN reported.

"Yeah, yeah, watch the jersey number, not my game," said Cuban, who finished scoreless with one rebound and a steal in 17 minutes as the West lost 88-59 to the East. "Yeah, it was fun. You've got to have some fun with all of this. You can't take yourself too seriously. Some people do. I don't."

Trump posted a tweet about Cuban on Feb. 12, writing: "I know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasn't interested in taking all of his calls. He's not smart enough to run for president!"

Cuban, a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton during the presidential election, has been critical of Trump, especially on Twitter. On Friday, Cuban posted six tweets in which he slammed Trump's policies and character.

Cox Media Group