Mark Cuban became the owner of the Dallas Mavericks during the year 2000. The Mavs have since become one of the NBA's more popular franchises. Additionally, the team won its first championship under Cuban in 2011. Cuban recently reflected on his first year as the team owner, via Yahoo Sports.
“I remember my first year, I bought three number one picks in the 2000 draft,” Cuban said. “And it ended up being the worst draft in the history of the NBA. I was young, you know, I'm competitive. And I just wanted to come in and have an impact… That ego, that competitiveness, can work against you.”
Cuban, who is now a minority owner of the Mavericks, still often attends games. He has remained out-spoken about team decisions, often discussing the shocking Luka Doncic trade.
He's always been aware of what the Mavericks are doing. Some team owners don't pay as much attention, but Cuban often is able to analyze and break down elements of the team. Cuban further addressed his former role when he was the majority owner of the Mavs.
“You come in, you're successful at your business and you think to yourself, ‘I'm smart. I'm good… I took this business and grew it to whatever put me in a position to buy this team. So, I'm going to stick with what works for me.' And that's what got me in trouble with the NBA a lot when I first came in, because I'm like, ‘I'm not gonna change for them. This is what works.' But that ego… also makes you over-confident to a certain extent.”
Mark Cuban is now able to reflect on his early years as a team owner in the NBA. He's learned many lessons over the years. Now 67 years old, Cuban is still hoping for the best as the Mavericks look to win their first championship since that aforementioned 2011 campaign.
