One of the most enthusiastic supporters and ex-owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, will be sitting again in the stands for the whole NBA finals series between the Mavs and the Boston Celtics. Cuban, being a die-hard Mavs fan, is not a surprise, as he did it over a long period. However, last year, the 65-year-old was relieved of the role in which he was supporting his team. Cuban was a 100% stakeholder of the Mavs team till November 2023. However, in a sudden turn of events, he stepped down from his role as he sold 73% of the franchise to late billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson’s widow, Miriam Adelson.
Interestingly, the franchise was handed over to Adelson’s son-in-law, Patrick Dumont. Dumont looks after his father-in-law’s casino and resort company, Las Vegas Sands, and is also the control person for Mavericks. Notably, Cuban sold the franchise’s stake to such opulent clients for $3.5 billion in the fall of 2023. But Cuban’s good relationship and strong rapport with Dumont posed no threat or concern when it came to ceding control of the franchise.
It was a question of the hour for the media houses that why Cuban sold a large majority of his stakes. Suprisingly,the 65-year-old had got a reply prepared for that as he stated that he needed someone to “build” the franchise.
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Yet it did not get clear why Cuban made such a big decision. A reply that he gave for the satisfaction of the press read, “They’re not basketball people. I’m not real estate people. That’s why I did it.” It looked like an encoded message to the reporters, but no one got the gist of it. Nevertheless, Dumont is the new governor of the franchise and has taken Cuban’s dream quite seriously. In an interaction with the media, he confirmed that he might build a brand-new arena for the Mavs, considering their current venue lease expiring in the year 2031.
If not the team owner, what is Mark Cuban’s role with the Mavericks?
Even after selling a major part of the franchise, Cuban still holds 27% of the team. Moreover, he has sustained his power to look over the basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks. It was quite a unique demand, but Dumont somehow agreed to it, confirming his friendly tie with the ex-Mavs owner. Yet the basketball operations president of the Mavericks is Nico Harrison, not Cuban.
Apparently, Cuban is just playing a major role in day-to-day operations, being a stakeholder with a valuable role. Still, he does not interfere with much and holds his value for the team. He is passionate about basketball and loves to be with the team for which he worked so hard. But Cuban’s separation from the team as the official member has another demerit as he cannot lift the trophy with the team. Yes, that’s right. It will be Dumont who will be presented with the trophy, instead of Cuban. And it’s the same case with the Larry O’Brien trophy if the Dallas side wins the championship this year.
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Still, the Mavs players respect Cuban a lot. There are chances that they will call him to pick the trophy up with them if they manage to win. What are your thoughts? Let us know
in the comments. Also, make sure to watch out for what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the marketing genius in the following video.
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