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via Getty

via Getty

The off-field battles are what complete the on-court rivalries of the NBA teams. One such instance was entirely on display as Mark Cuban publicly rejected the offer from the ex-Philadelphia 76ers owner. The Dallas Mavericks billionaire got one over his old enemy despite the latter being $6.3 billion richer than him.

Cuban openly declined a ‘rookie’ proposal to rekindle their old battle. The moment caught the attention of the NBA world as the response from Mark made the headlines yet again.

Why did Mark Cuban decline the offer?

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In a recent Shark Tank episode, Michael Rubin appeared as a guest shark on the television show. During one negotiation, the former owner of? 76ers proposed to partner with Mark. As the 65-year-old declined the offer, Rubin put forward a counteroffer before he shared the interaction publicly.

While sharing his perspective, the $11.4 billion worth of shark claimed that he “tried to be polite and work” with Cuban. “But he decided to be greedy and cut me out of his offer,”?Michael added. Thus, he chose “to undercut him”. Mark took notice of the post as he responded to it soon after that.

With the caption, “The rookie speaks,”?the $5.1 billion worth Cuban fired shots against Rubin. He indicated how declining the proposal was a part of his plan to lure Michael in to counter him. He pointed out his intentions of schooling the newcomer with the statement.

The entire moment wonderfully captured the minds and approach of the NBA owners. It showcased how the competitive nature of the athletes was an extension of the ruthlessness of the people running their franchises. With two personalities from the league going against each other, this made us reminisce about one thing.

Friendship beyond competitiveness

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Rubin sold his minority share in the Eastern Conference team a year back with a bigger goal in mind. He founded Fanatics to cause a disruption in the sports market through sports apparel and collectibles. As he attempted to capture a larger audience with his latest venture, Cuban backed him.

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The Mavs owner applauded his mission to remake everything related to sports branding. “He has the drive, EQ, brains and focus to do it,”?Mark highlighted to appreciate Michael. He even called the 51-year-old an “amazing entrepreneur”.

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Thus, the recent interaction surrounding these two was mostly a part of what the show required. Their equation remained the same despite the incident, as both would repeat the same if given the chance.

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