Mark Cuban for President? Media Buzz Ramps Up After Mogul Quits Shark Tank and Sells Stake in Mavs

Ahmad Austin Jr.Nov 29th, 2023, 11:28 am
 
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban

Tony Gutierrez/AP

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has reignited speculation that he might run for president after selling his majority stake in the team and announcing his departure from the show Shark Tank.

On the All the Smoke podcast, Cuban recently revealed that season 16 of the show would be his last. Shark Tank is currently on its 15th season.

Then, it was reported Tuesday that Cuban would be selling his majority stake in the Mavericks to Las Vegas Sander owner Miriam Adelson and her family. Cuban bought the team in 2000 for $285 million and has reportedly sold his majority stake to Adelson for more than $3 billion.

One important wrinkle of the deal is, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, Cuban will “retain operational control” of the team despite possessing a smaller ownership stake than Adelson. He will essentially have the same duties while being more than $3 billion richer.

Still, a number of outlets — including Sports Illustrated and The Dallas Morning News — have entertained the idea that Cuban could be paving the way for a presidential campaign.

The 65-year-old regularly appears on cable news networks to discuss a wide variety of topics, and he’s only fueled speculation by claiming he has what it takes to be president of the United States. In the next breath, however, Cuban said he wouldn’t want to put his family through the chaos that comes with running for president.

He reiterated that point in an email to NBC when he said, “My family would disown me.”

With the latest news, some in both the political and sports worlds have theorized that perhaps Cuban has changed his mind.

As Stein noted, Cuban has stated in the past he’d like to move the Mavs to a new arena “in the middle of a resort and casino” in the event that gambling is legalized in the state of Texas. He also said the team would partner with Las Vegas Sands to do so, explaining his decision to sell to Adelson. If approved, the deal would put Cuban one step closer to realizing that goal.

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