Owning a professional sports team is a dream that very, very few people will ever realize. Not only does an organization have to be up for sale, but someone needs an absolutely massive net worth to buy it. Luckily for Mark Cuban, both of those worked out in his favor.
Throughout this guide, I will look at how the billionaire first got his money, as well as what he did with it once he became rich. He didn’t just buy an NBA team, he used his passion and personality to quickly become one of the highest-profile owners in the entire league.
From Zero to Hero
Cuban started with humble beginnings. Born in Pittsburgh, the entrepreneur came from a working class family who struggled to get by. Even so, a series of extremely fortunate events changed the course of his life. The first, was moving from his home state to Dallas.
Once in Texas, Cuban landed a job as a salesperson for Your Business Software. His foray into the tech world allowed him to start his own company, MicroSolutions. Using clients from Your Business, he quickly expanded and took on many new companies during the dot com boom.
In 1995 he expanded into other ventures, including the sale of Broadcast.com. That move put him on the map, and rapidly expanded his net worth into the high hundreds of millions. Though he’d almost exclusively stuck to the tech world at that point, in 2000 he shifted into sports.
Living His Dream
Cuban, a lifelong basketball fan, made his mark on the sport at the turn of the century when he bought the Dallas Mavericks from H. Ross Petor Jr. The move cost him $285 million (a steal by today’s standards) and allowed him to diversify his various ventures.
At the age of 42, he was one of the younger owners in the league. Not only that, but he didn’t mind being in the public eye. Where many NBA owners sink back and let other people manage their franchises, Cuban has always been much more hands on.
That makes him unique because he didn’t get in the sports world just to make money or expand his net worth, he’s in it to win. He doesn’t care about losing money (the Mavericks were not profitable for over a decade after he bought them) and only wants to put together a good team.
A True Fan
Cuban is a fan as much as an owner. That’s great from a competitive standpoint, but it’s also gotten him into hot water. He’s been fined more than $1 million during his time as an owner because he’s not afraid to speak his mind, nor is he afraid to yell at players and officials alike.
That combination quickly made him a fan favorite. He’s always had a ton of passion for the sport, and never shies away from bringing in top players or paying stars huge contracts to keep them around. Even now, the Mavericks are one of the best teams due to his moves.
That passion and fire are what allowed the Mavericks to be so good throughout the 2000’s, and why they earned their first NBA championship in 2010 under Cuban. He’s not just someone who stumbled into ownership, it’s something he’s always wanted and an opportunity he won’t waste.
Final Words
There have been a good number of different NBA owners over the years, but few are like Mark Cuban. He has a certain flair, earned his money in a unique way, and also only cares about winning. That type of ownership is rare, and is a big reason he crossed into popular culture.
