Mark Cuban says he has one big regret after cashing out of the Dallas Mavericks — and it’s not the sale itself.
“I don’t regret selling, I regret who I sold to. Yeah, yeah, I made a lot of mistakes in the process and I’ll leave it at that,” the billionaire entrepreneur said on an episode of the Intersections podcast published Tuesday.
He agreed in late 2023 to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to casino magnate Miriam Adelson and her family.
Cuban, who spent nearly 20 years as one of the “shark” investors on “Shark Tank,” said the grind of owning an NBA franchise ultimately pushed him toward the exit, describing it as an all-consuming emotional rollercoaster that wore him down over time.
Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he regrets who he sold the team to — and blasted the franchise’s decision to trade Luka Dončić without his input. Intersections Podcast/YouTube
“It’s a big emotional commitment, right? You hear the passion and everything — now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard,” he said.
The intensity of fan reactions — especially when the team struggled — made him wary of his children working in that environment and being subjected to what he described as abusive treatment, Cuban added.
But while the celeb money-man defended the decision to sell, he drew a line at how things unfolded after the deal — particularly a blockbuster trade involving franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić.
Cuban said he was blindsided when the Mavericks moved the star player, describing a chaotic late-night phone call that left him stunned.
“I got a text from a then-general manager and he said ‘Call.’ And I did and I thought he was asking me what I thought about a potential trade for Luka he was like, ‘No, Mark, it’s done,’” Cuban recounted.
Casino magnate Miriam Adelson leads the ownership group that bought a controlling stake in the Mavericks, a deal Cuban now says he regrets. Getty Images
“I was like, ‘What did we trade him for?’ And he told me — and no disrespect to Anthony Davis — but I’m like, ‘He’s hurt a lot.’”
The former owner said he immediately viewed the deal as a catastrophic mistake — one he had no power to stop.
“I called the new owner and he started telling me stuff that wasn’t true that he had been told as the reason why he approved it and I’m like, that’s not true — um, this is a mistake but nothing I can do,” Cuban said.
Cuban framed Dončić as a once-in-a-generation talent who should have been untouchable under any circumstances. he added.
Beyond basketball logic, Cuban suggested the decision was influenced by internal tensions and personal dynamics within the Mavericks organization.
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić was traded in a stunning move that Mark Cuban called a “mistake,” saying generational players like him are untouchable. Getty Images
Cuban also pointed to former general manager Nico Harrison as a key figure in the decision-making process, arguing that personal relationships may have skewed the front office’s judgment.
He noted Harrison had been close with Anthony Davis, the former Lakers star who went to the Mavs in the Dončić swap, since Davis was about 13 years old, while head coach Jason Kidd also previously coached him.
“You talk about confirmation bias, that there’s there was some of that, as well,” Cuban said, suggesting those ties contributed to the decision to trade away Dončić.
The comments highlight a growing rift between Cuban and the new ownership group led by Adelson, whose family acquired about 73% of the franchise in a deal valued at around $3.5 billion.
Cuban retained a minority stake but has increasingly signaled he no longer holds meaningful influence over basketball operations.
The Post has sought comment from Cuban and Adelson.
