In the Battle of Billionaires, Mark Cuban Uses Basketball Analogy to Outwit Elon Musk: “Best Players Weren’t Always the First Pick”

Mark Cuban elaborates on his opinion about Diversity, Equality, Inclusion (DEI) using a concept understood by a large number of people this time. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the former Mavs owner used a basketball analogy to add to his earlier posts.

In a world where basketball enthusiasts are quickly increasing, his decision to cite a popular example might clarify some things to a few. He brings our attention to a common battleground on the DEI – merit-based hiring.

The post was in reply to his fellow billionaire Elon Musk’s comment (with whom the whole discussion began), on when they can expect to see a “short white/Asian women on the Mavs”. Cuban said that choosing basketball players is more or less an “educated guess.” Which is why, “the best players weren’t always the first pick in the draft.”

He clarified the point by saying that DEI does not mean that organizations should not hire on merit. But first, they should “expand the possible pool of candidates as widely” as possible, and then choose based on merit. He said that instead of basing selections on quantitative aspects, companies usually have a subjective approach. They have “no quantitative metric” that can be used to hire the best employee.

When you think of basketball greats who haven’t been the first pick, Nikola Jokić might come to mind. The 41st overall pick, Jokic, led his Nuggets to the 2023 championship. And is now crushing teams and dominating the floor. Go back in time a little, and you will find a 57th-draft pick who changed the game of basketball by popularizing the Euro step in the NBA – Manu Ginobili.

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A Spurs member for life, Ginobili became part of the famous “Big 3,” breaking records and achieving greatness. A 4x NBA champion, he is one of the two players in the history of the league to hold a EuroLeague title, an NBA ring, and an Olympic medal.

‘Good businesses look where others don’t’: Cuban’s take on DEI

One of the “sharks” in the ABC reality TV series, Shark Tank, the billionaire investor believes that extending the hiring search will provide organizations with qualified employees who are otherwise excluded. Cuban took time to detail his opinion, with a few well-thought-out statements and reasons.

He further elaborated that “Good businesses look where others don’t … The loss of DEI-Phobic companies is my gain.” On December 2023, Musk had taken to X (Twitter) to post a sudden thought-provoking comment on DEI. He mentioned how the whole program is nothing but a replacement for the current discrimination. “Changing the target class doesn’t make it right!” he exclaimed.

More recently, though, Bill Ackerman’s lengthy post on the same matter prompted the X (Twitter) owner and CEO to once again make his thoughts known. Musk is certain that DEI is basically just another word for racism. And this was when Cuban decided to take a shot at trying to convince the Tesla CEO.

Whether his efforts paid off or not is still up for debate. Anyway, for now, his fellow billionaire is yet to respond.

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