Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban announced today that the Mavericks are offering free heart health exams to every Mavericks player over the age of 50 that played two seasons or more with the organization.

“We have had several tragedies in the NBA family recently with the passing of several legends at a young age,” Cuban said.

“The Mavs want to be proactive to inform and educate our alumni about potential health concerns they may face as they age. To this end, we will be paying for advanced screening for heart disease for our former Mavs over the age of 50.”

The Mavericks’ organization is contacting all 33 former players to arrange a doctor’s appointment near the player’s home and cover the costs of the screening if interested. The screening consists of an EKG, stress echo, blood profile and office visit. In the event the test comes back with anything other than ‘All Clear,’ the team will not commit to paying for any further care. However, they will assist in finding the ongoing healthcare necessary to treat the condition.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in men. Many times there are no symptoms and it goes undiagnosed and thus untreated. The Dallas Mavericks feel that if diagnosed in a timely manner, the majority of heart disease cases do not have to end in untimely deaths.

“We want to do our part to make sure the Mavs our fans have come to know and love will be with us for a long, long time,” Cuban said.

For more information on heart disease, go to http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/index.htm.

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