Mark Cuban fined $50,000 for criticizing officials over Twitter

Mark Cuban has been fined $50,000 for publicly criticizing the NBA's officiating. The Dallas Mavericks owner had just returned home from a vacation to the Cayman Island when he started tweeting about the Mavericks' 99-96 loss to the New Orleans Hornets during a home game.

"Im sorry NBA fans. Ive tried for 13 years to fix the officiating in this league and I have failed miserably. Any Suggestions ? I need help," he tweeted.

Though the fine wasn't officially announced by the NBA, a league spokesperson confirmed it to the Associated Press. Cuban has been fined over $1.5 million in the 13 years he's acted as the Mavericks' owner, with the most recent instance happening last February. Then he was tagged $75,000 for criticizing the officials of a game where the Mavericks played the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"I haven't said a whole lot about the officiating in a long, long time, but I haven't seen it this bad in a long, long time," Cuban said in the comment that got him fined last February. "Guys miss calls; that's part of the game. You're not always going to have a great crew. Officials have got to learn that's part of the game. But these were officials that have been part of the league for years, and it was just off-the-charts bad. And, if no one ever says anything, nothing ever happens."