Is Mark Cuban the Most Outspoken NBA Team Owner Ever?

Mark Cuban is one of the most popular team owners in NBA history. The billionaire is a huge personality who does not hesitate to speak his mind. Even though it has landed him in hot water many times, Cuban just does not care. However, his persona was a major reason behind the popularity of the Dallas Mavericks. He turned a struggling franchise into one of the most consistent teams in the league. Recently, it was reported that the business owner is all set to sell his majority stake in the Mavericks. Amidst this, let us look at the history and some of Cuban’s most interesting moments to analyze whether he is the most outspoken team owner.

The Mark Cuban era in Dallas

The Dallas Mavericks were formed in the year 1980. In the late 80s, the team had some degree of success in the playoffs. Notably, the Mavericks reached the 1987 Conference Finals. However, things went south quickly. After a first-round sweep in 1990, the Mavs did not reach the playoffs again in the next ten years. This was when Mark Cuban came to the fore. The entrepreneur had major success in his business endeavors and decided to try his hand at professional sports.

In 2000, he purchased the majority stake in the Mavericks for $285 million. It came as a shock to many considering the organization’s lack of success. However, he had high hopes for the franchise’s marketability and also believed he could run it successfully. And he did just that. In his first season as the owner, the Mavs clinched a playoff berth for the first time in a decade. Over the years, Cuban has made some crucial decisions that nudged the team in the right direction.

Notably, the Mavs made the postseason for 12 straight seasons after his takeover. In these 12 years, the team reached the Finals twice and won the championship once. Overall, during Cuban’s 22 years of ownership, the Mavericks have missed the playoffs only four times making them one of the most consistent teams in the league.

Cuban is a fan first and then an owner. So, unlike many team owners in the NBA, he is ever present on the sidelines. Also, he is someone who wears his heart on his sleeves because of his immense passion. This has put a hole in his pocket multiple times. But, in classic Cuban style, he has made statements out of it as well.

Mark Cuban’s troubles started very early

We have all seen Mark Cuban jumping out of his seat at the American Airlines Center whenever there was a questionable call. At such times, he is just another passionate Mavericks fan in the arena. In the era of social media, he shares his honest thoughts via his handles as well. However, his actions have landed him in trouble multiple times. Things started very soon after he took over the Mavs in January 2000.

A few months later in November, Cuban had his first taste of disciplinary sanction. He was fined $5,000 for criticizing a referee during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers as per Clutch Points. After the action, Cuban stated that he was aware that he could be fined for scrutinizing the officials but noted that it did not address the issue.

Just a week later, Cuban had to shell out $15,000 after he got himself ejected because of a confrontation with a referee. This time, even the head coach at the time, Don Nelson, condemned the owner’s antics claiming it was hurting the team. However, the entrepreneur was just not ready to stay silent. Within a couple of days, he was again penalized. This time, it was a $25,000 fine for abusing the official regarding a goaltending call.

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One month later, in January 2001, Cuban was sanctioned a massive $250,000. It was the biggest fine in league history at the time. It was once again for his outburst at the officials after a missed goaltending call. He said, “The refs were pitiful tonight and I don’t care if I get fined.” The NBA has had enough and upped the amount from $25K to $250K. However, Cuban just won’t stop!

Mark Cuban will not stay silent

After the $250,000 punishment, one would think he would remain calm. But not Mark Cuban! A few days later, he incurred a $100,000 penalty for sitting on the baseline. Two days later, he had to pay another $100,000 for making a derogatory gesture to officials. Furthermore, he was suspended for one game as well. One month later, he was suspended for two games. However, this time, he was trying to break up a fight between the Mavericks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cuban was fined a hefty $500,000 just one year later in 2002. He was penalized for targeting and criticizing an official. Following this, the owner avoided any sanctions for a few years until 2006. It was a huge year for the Mavs as they reached the Finals. During the second round against the San Antonio Spurs, Cuban was fined $100,000 for complaining and another $100,000 for a blog post titled “How to improve NBA Playoff Officiating.”

In the Finals against the Miami Heat, the Mavs were the favorites. They started strong and took a 2-0 lead. However, the Heat came back and tied the series. In the crucial game 5, the game went to overtime, and the Heat won the close game 101-100. During the game, Cuban was not happy with some calls and was seen screaming toward Commissioner David Stern and a group of league officials. He had to pay $250,000 for “several acts of misconduct.”

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In the next few years, he was sanctioned for his comments on J.R. Smith and for discussing the possibility of landing LeBron James in free agency. In 2013, Cuban took his criticism of officials to Twitter and was asked to pay $50,000.

The most fined individual in the NBA!

In 2018, Mark Cuban was fined a massive $600,000 for his comments about tanking. During a podcast with NBA legend Julius Irving, he openly admitted that losing was their “best option”. Tanking is a very sensitive topic in the league. Everyone knows various teams lose on purpose every year for an opportunity to get the best players in the draft, yet no one talks about it publicly. When someone did, they were slapped with a hefty fine. However, the team’s gamble worked as they acquired superstar Luka Doncic the next season.

Two years later in 2020, Cuban had to shell out $500,000 for his antics during a game followed by his rant on Twitter. The billionaire remained relatively calm for the next few years and avoided any penalties. However, it was just the “calm before the storm”.

Last season, when the Mavericks still had the chance to make the play-in tournament, the team benched multiple healthy players including Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the last two games and lost both. The two losses made sure the Mavs remained at #10 in the lottery order. Had it fallen to #11, the pick would have gone to the New York Knicks. For this attempt, Cuban was slapped with his biggest fine ever of $750,000. However, the owner doubled down. Soon after, he announced he would match the fine with a donation of $750,000 to charity.

Notably, Cuban is the most fined individual in NBA history! Some of his biggest punishments include 2x $500,000, 1x $600,000 and 1x $750,000. Overall, he has paid over $4 million in penalties! So, it is safe to say that Cuban is the most outspoken NBA owner ever. However, he was more than that as well. Notably, in 2020 he was voted as the third-best team owner by NBA insiders behind Micky Arison of the Heat at #2 and Steve Balmer of the Clippers at #1 as per The Athletic.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.