Mark Cuban has been a constant presence at Mavericks games throughout Dallas' playoff run, which comes as no surprise to anyone who has watched the franchise over the years.
While many NBA owners stay out of the spotlight, Cuban has made a point of watching games among the fans and reacting just like anyone else would. The billionaire businessman was front-and-center when the Mavericks won their first NBA championship in 2011, and they enter the Western Conference Finals four wins away from a return to the Finals for the first time since that run.
Cuban is still around the team and attending games, but his role isn't quite the same as it was even a few months ago after a surprising move.
Here's what you need to know about Cuban's ownership status in Dallas.
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Does Mark Cuban still own the Mavericks?
Cuban is no longer the Mavericks' majority owner. He sold 73 percent of the franchise to Miriam Adelson for $3.5 billion in late 2023, and the Mavericks' control person is now Adelson's son-in-law Patrick Dumont.
Despite selling his majority stake in the Mavericks, Cuban remains very much involved with the franchise. In addition to owning 27 percent of the team, Cuban retained oversight of basketball operations in Dallas as part of the unique agreement.
Cuban isn't the Mavericks' president of basketball operations, as that title belongs to Nico Harrison, but he played an important role in day-to-day basketball operations as majority owner and evidently continues to hold a valuable role.
With that being said, a Western Conference title for the Mavericks would mean Dumont, not Cuban, would be presented with the trophy. The same goes for the Larry O'Brien trophy, should Dallas complete a surprising run to the NBA championship.
Why did Mark Cuban sell the Mavericks?
Cuban's decision to sell his majority stake in the Mavericks raised eyebrows at the time, leading some to wonder whether he was considering a run for president. The 65-year-old quickly shot down that idea.
Instead, Cuban told reporters he was looking for someone who can "build" and expressed confidence that the Adelson family can do just that.
"Patrick and Miriam, they're the best in the world at what they do. ... When you get a world-class partner who can come in and grow your revenue base and you're not dependent on things that you were in the past, that's a huge win," Cuban said in December.
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Cuban expressed optimism that spending to build the best team possible would be no issue with Dumont as the Mavericks' control person, and he added that the deal left the franchise "in a far better position" to complete a media rights deal.
"They're not basketball people. I'm not real estate people. That's why I did it," Cuban said, explaining that he's known the Adelson and Dumont families "for a long time."
While Cuban's exact intentions might not be fully known, the deal earned him significant money while allowing him to remain a critical basketball operations voice for the Mavericks. Cuban certainly seems to have a strong relationship with Dumont, which allowed him to cede full control of the franchise without many concerns.
Who did Mark Cuban sell the Mavericks to?
Cuban sold the majority of the Mavericks to billionaire Miriam Adelson, though her son-in-law Patrick Dumont is the team's governor and control person.
Adelson, 78, was married to billionaire casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson. Adelson, who died in 2021, was the founder and CEO of casino and resort company Las Vegas Sands. Dumont now serves as president and COO of Las Vegas Sands.
Dumont is married to Sivan Ochshorn, the daughter of Miriam Adelson. He's now the day-to-day business operations leader for the Mavericks despite having a much lower profile than Cuban.
Cuban didn't expand on his comments about looking for a partner who could "build," but Dumont's first interview as governor of the Mavericks gave an indication of what Cuban is looking for.
Dumont told The Dallas Morning News that he intends to invest in the American Airlines Center for the time being but left the door open for a new arena after the venue's lease expires in 2031.
Additionally, Dumont said he believes "destination resorts" are realistic for the Dallas area and explained that "might be an opportunity for us to build a brand-new arena for the Mavericks as part of an entertainment complex that's large-scale" with hotels and more amenities.
When Cuban said he wanted someone who could "build," it appears he meant it quite literally. The Mavericks are one of four teams still standing in the 2023-24 NBA season, and Cuban and Dumont evidently are looking to parlay the franchise's rise back to relevance by making it the front face of an even larger project.
What is Mark Cuban's pharmacy company?
Cuban is involved in plenty of projects beyond the Mavericks, and his most notable at the moment might be pharmacy company Cost Plus Drugs.
Cuban started Cost Plus Drugs with the intent to lower the prices for generic drugs by cutting out the middlemen and taking prices directly to consumers. Cuban started the business with radiologist Alexander Oshmyansky, who first approached the billionaire with the idea in 2018.
Cost Plus Drugs sells 2,200 drugs directly to patients after adding 1,000 more in December 2023, Forbes reported. "Drugs are sold for a fully disclosed price plus a 15 percent markup, a $5 pharmacy service fee and a $5 shipping fee," according to Forbes.
The company is aiming to impact drug prices in more ways than one, as their affordable rates also put pressure on more traditional pharmacies to lower their own prices in order to compete.
Cost Plus Drugs is headquartered in Dallas and just opened a new 22,000-square foot factory to manufacture drugs and get them to patients faster.
Mark Cuban net worth
Cuban has an estimated net worth of $5.4 billion, according to Forbes. That ranks 582nd in the world, and it's up just under $1 billion since the sale took place.
While Cuban is no longer the majority owner of the Mavericks, he didn't rank among the very richest NBA owners when he did. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is worth $101 billion, while Cleveland's Dan Gilbert, Denver's Stan Kroenke and Houston's Tilman Fertitta are among owners with a higher net worth than Cuban.
Cuban said in April that he paid $275.9 million in taxes and said he was "proud" to do so.
