Mark Cuban sold the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson family last December. He gave up majority ownership and operational control of the NBA franchise he turned into a winner.
But while Cuban seems to be enjoying his new role watching the Mavs from afar, he admits that he is open to making a comeback as a team owner if he has the right associates and his current partners agree to it.
"I have to make it okay with my current partners," said Cuban during his recent appearance on Shaq's The Big Podcast. "But if my kids were like, 'All right, we're set. That's not what we want or whatever, and it was Shaq; yeah, I would look at making a comeback. But out of respect to my partners, I'd have to check with them first."
Mark is still a minority owner of the Mavs
Although Cuban sold his controlling ownership of the Mavs to the Adelson family for $3.5 billion, that share was only 72.3% of the franchise. Mark is still a minority owner with around 27% stake. That means he will have to sell his shares in the Mavs if he wants to own an expansion team.
While auctioning his stake in the Mavs is one thing, getting the blessing from the Adelsons is another. But if they are fine with it, Mark welcomes the idea of owning another team as long as the venture is with Shaquille O'Neal and possibly LeBron James . Cuban even gave Bid Diesel an idea of how they would raise the money.
"We get me, you, LeBron," added Mark. "We go to HBO. We get them to do a behind-the-scenes show and put up a chunk of the money. Or we go to Disney since they're an NBA partner and we get them to put up a ton of the money for it. We might have something there. Viva Las Vegas…or Seattle."
Related: "I remember him sitting in the bathroom close to tears" - Doc opened up about a heartbreaking way Shaq's career ended
Melo also wants to co-own a team with Bron
Well, Cuban isn't the only businessman who wants to partner with the four-time MVP to own an NBA team. Last August, LeBron's longtime friend and banana boat brother, Carmelo Anthony, hinted that he would love to co-own an expansion NBA team with James and Dwyane Wade.
"That's how you create what they're talking about generational," said Anthony. "That's generational, that's legacy if we can do that. I don't know how cuz I'm open. I don't know how open they are. Everybody got their own situation. I'm out there trying to raise money now, trying to raise money with my sports funds."
It's no secret that LeBron intends to be an NBA team owner after his retirement. Given King James' wealth, popularity, and charisma, there are many potential partners out there for the Kid from Akron. Cuban and Melo are just two of the first to join the conversation.
Related: "He's spending time talking to kids, bringing kids onto the court" - When Mark Cuban drew parallels between a young Luka Doncic and Magic Johnson
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