Mark Cuban Selling Dallas Mavericks Prompts Frenzied Speculation

The news that Mark Cuban is selling his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks has led to speculation that he is clearing his calendar for a possible presidential run.

Citing an unnamed source, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the billionaire businessman, 65, is in the process of ironing out a $3.5 billion deal to sell the stake to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company.

The AP reported that the deal, which would take weeks for the NBA to process, would see Cuban retain control of the franchise’s basketball operations.

Hours before the report was published, it was announced that the company controlled by Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, was selling $2 billion of her shares to purchase an unnamed professional sports team.

The reported sale of the Mavericks—whose fortunes Cuban dramatically turned around after buying the team in 2000—coupled with the news that he is departing his role on the hit business investing show Shark Tank, has led to speculation that the billionaire has a potential White House run on the horizon.

Brian Glenn, who is director or programming at conservative media company Right Side Broadcasting Network, sparked discussion on the topic when he floated the idea on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

“Just early speculation: Mark Cuban prepping for a possible President run. (At some point),” Glenn wrote. “Suddenly sells majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks. Announces he’s leaving Shark Tank after 16 seasons. Looks like someone is clearing his calendar and making time for ‘something else.'”

The post caught the attention of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who quickly took aim at Cuban’s past political leanings as a Democrat.

“Hmm.. could this be true?” Greene responded. “If Mark Cuban decides to run and the Democrats replace him, it doesn’t matter. The entire Democrat party is the same as the Biden admin. ANYONE they support is exactly the same as the America LAST Democrat party. They are all Joe Biden.”

Newsweek has contacted Cuban via email for comment.

Greene’s post sparked a strong reaction from a number of X users, one of whom said: “Mark Cuban would tap dance on these idiots’ heads. I don’t know if he’s running, and honestly not even 100% he would run as [Democrat], but you could fill the Grand Canyon with the difference in intelligence and communication skills between him and [Greene].”

Another criticized the idea that next year’s election will involve any scenario other than Biden going up against anyone other than current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

“I don’t know why everyone keeps fantasizing that this isn’t Biden vs. Trump II,” they commented. “Biden is alone in the field. So is Trump. The first primaries are less than 60 days away. Serious candidates aren’t stepping in now and fantasizing there might be one makes you look unserious.”

“No, he won’t run. He is too much involved in his businesses to step aside,” another said of Cuban, who endorsed Biden in the 2020 election.

Others pointed to the fact that reports have indicated Cuban will retain control of basketball operations at the Mavericks. He is also known to be a proponent of legalizing gambling in Texas, which could serve to explain why the reported casino deal would be attractive for Cuban.

While Cuban has yet to confirm whether he will run for president, he didn’t rule it out when he was asked during an appearance on CNBC’s Fast Money Halftime Report back in 2019.

When asked by host Scott Wapner if he planned to run, Cuban responded: “You haven’t heard anything from me for a reason and we’ll keep it that way.”

Wapner pressed Cuban on whether he was “still considering it,” to which the billionaire said: “We’ll see what happens. Look, I’ve said it many times. It would take the perfect storm for me to do it. The definition of bad parenting is running for president when you have three young kids… So there’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now.”

Cuban, who said he liked Biden and called him “smart,” added in the interview that then-President Trump proved attractive to voters because “he wasn’t a politician.”

The businessman added, however, that he would “absolutely not” run as a Democrat should he ever make a bid for office.

“I’d run as an independent, most likely,” Cuban explained. “I think there’s a real opportunity for somebody who is in the middle but has some charisma, has the ability to relate to both sides, but is not a politician. The reality is, people don’t trust politicians, period. End of story.”