Um, sorry — what? Has the man suddenly decided to become a hermit and live in the remote woods or something? It's a fair question to ask since the tech guru has said before that he would never sell the team.
Likely not, but leave it to the internet to cook up some juicy conjecture as to what’s driving these seismic shifts in the House of Cuban. (Hint: It has to do with politics, the theory goes.)
The Maverick-in-chief has opted to kiss goodbye a majority stake in the franchise he’s owned since 2000, The Washington Post reported. And, in a move that’s kind of funny considering that we live in casino-averse Texas, he’ll be selling to the family that runs the international gambling company Las Vegas Sands.
Cuban, who bought the Mavs for $285 million, will apparently be raking it in. The agreement’s valuation range, according to The Associated Press? Oh, just a modest $3.5 billion. No biggie.
Although Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson died in 2021, his widow, Miriam, and her family are still major shareholders in that company. And Miriam seems to have taken a keen interest in Texas politics, having donated $1 million to Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2022 reelection campaign. This new partnership is also noteworthy because of Cuban's vocal support of not only making sports betting legal in Texas, but allowing casinos to operate in the Lone Star State.
Cuban’s departure prompted some sports observers to speculate whether he’d simply gotten sick of fame. But some on the internet have debated another hypothesis about what’s motivating the big-wig’s decision: power.
On Wednesday morning, users on X began wondering aloud whether Cuban could be considering a career in politics.
“This, a day after leaving Shark Tank, my snap thought and question: is Mark Cuban about to run for President, or something crazy?” wrote Jeff D. Lowe, podcast host at Barstool.
Bill Kristol, The Bulwark editor-at-large, offered up a similar take on X.
“A few months ago, Mark Cuban said he wouldn't run for president in 2024 because ‘my family would disown me,’” he wrote in a post. “Perhaps someone should check in with his family today?”
A few months ago, Mark Cuban said he wouldn't run for president in 2024 because "my family would disown me."
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 29, 2023
Perhaps someone should check in with his family today? https://t.co/l6VkJU3gPW
Actually, the idea that Cuban would vie for the presidency isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Tuesday’s news prompted a clip of an old CNBC interview to resurface in which Cuban was asked whether he’d run in 2020.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said at the time, adding that he’d theoretically do so as an independent. “I’ve said it many times: It would take the perfect storm for me to do it. … There’s some things that could open the door, but I’m not projecting or predicting it right now.”
So you’re saying there’s a chance.
Beating the major party candidates would be tough, but even though he doesn’t have any experience in this realm to speak of, he isn’t afraid to wade into political waters on social media. And parallels can certainly be drawn between his resume and that of another businessman-turned-reality star who won the White House in 2016.
Still, some X users had mixed feelings about a supposed Cuban presidential run, with Texas political activist Olivia Julianna writing: “The way that a Mark Cuban candidacy would both entice and devastate me at the same time.”
The way that a Mark Cuban candidacy would both entice and devastate me at the same time https://t.co/TkGCZsxQWn
— Olivia Julianna 🗳 (@0liviajulianna) November 29, 2023
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
