Last night I was at the Mavericks-Kings game at Arco Arena. I haven't been to a game for several weeks and was immediately amazed at how much better the Kings looked since the last time I was in attendance. They fought for rebounds, they dove for balls, they acted like they cared if they won or lost. Wow, now that's different. And the Maloofs were back - sitting in their seats at center court - acting for all the world as if they hadn't been absent for months.

Mark Cuban was there also. And in one split second I saw a very different Mark Cuban than the one Kings' fans love to hate. At a break in the action, Kings' employees were tossing balls into the stands as prizes. The fans were roaring, begging to get a ball thrown in their direction. And then the break was over and that was when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Mark Cuban walk into the tunnel and ask for a ball from one of the employees. I wondered what he was up to. And then I watched as he walked over to a small child sitting a few seats away from him and hand the child the ball. The look of delight on the face of the child spoke volumes. But not quite as many volumes as this very private act spoke about Mark Cuban.

Winning the game was great, seeing that someone of Mark Cuban's stature still has a very personal side was priceless.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive