Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American businessman and television personality. He is the former principal owner and current minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), co-owner of 2929 Entertainment, and one of the main "sharks" on the ABC reality television series Shark Tank.[2]
Mark Cuban
- Businessman
- producer
- investor
- television personality
Former majority owner of Dallas Mavericks
Co-owner of 2929 Entertainment
Co-owner of Brondell
Owner of Mustang, Texas
Investor on Shark Tank
Founder of AXS TV & HDNet
3
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cuban's entrepreneurial actions manifested early with ventures ranging from selling garbage bags to running newspapers during a strike. He graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and embarked on a diverse business career that included founding MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com, both of which he sold at substantial profits. Cuban's investments span various industries, from technology and media to sports and entertainment. He has been a prominent figure in the NBA, known for his active involvement with the Mavericks (with which he won the 2011 NBA Championship as owner) and frequent disputes with the league's management. Outside of business, Cuban has been involved in philanthropy, political commentary, and involvement in reality television.
Early life and education[edit]
Cuban was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,[3][4] on July 31, 1958.[5] His father, Norton Cuban, was an automobile upholsterer.[6][7][8] Cuban described his mother, Shirley (née Feldman[9]), as someone with "a different job or different career goal every other week."[10]
Cuban is Jewish,[11] and grew up in Mount Lebanon, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in a Jewish working-class family.[12][13] His paternal grandfather changed the surname from "Chabenisky" to "Cuban" after his family emigrated from Russia through Ellis Island.[14][15] His maternal grandparents were Romanian Jewish immigrants, according to Mark's brother Brian,[16] though Mark has claimed his maternal grandmother was from Lithuania.[17]
Cuban first ventured into business at age 12. He sold garbage bags to pay for a pair of expensive sneakers.[3][18] A few years later, he earned money by selling stamps and coins.[19] At age 16, Cuban took advantage of a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike by running newspapers from Cleveland to Pittsburgh.[20]
Instead of attending high school for his senior year, he enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Pittsburgh, where he joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. After one year at the University of Pittsburgh, Cuban transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from the Kelley School of Business in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in management.[21][22][23] He chose Indiana's Kelley School of Business without even visiting the campus because it "had the least expensive tuition of all the business schools on the top 10 list". He had various business ventures during college, including a bar, disco lessons, and a chain letter.[3][24]
After graduating, Cuban returned to Pittsburgh and took a job with Mellon Bank, where he immersed himself in the study of machines and networking.[25]
Legal issues[edit]
NBA fines[edit]
Cuban's ownership has been the source of extensive media attention and controversy involving league policies.[167] Cuban has been fined by the NBA, mostly for critical statements about the league and referees, at least $1.665 million for 13 incidents.[168] In a June 30, 2006, interview, Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki said about Cuban:[169]