Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Mark Cuban

How Mark Cuban built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Mark Cuban is a highly successful American businessman and television personality with an estimated net worth of $5.7 billion (as of February 2025). He is known for owning the Dallas Mavericks (NBA), co-owning 2929 Entertainment, and starring as an investor on the TV show Shark Tank. His entrepreneurial ventures and investments span various industries, solidifying his prominent position in both the business and entertainment worlds.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

July 7, 1982: Moved to Dallas, Texas

On July 7, 1982, Mark Cuban moved to Dallas, Texas, where he initially worked as a bartender and then as a salesperson for Your Business Software.

1989: Audionet Founded

In 1989, Audionet was founded by Chris Jaeb, who retained 10% of the company.

1990: MicroSolutions Sold to CompuServe

In 1990, Mark Cuban sold MicroSolutions to CompuServe for $6 million, netting approximately $2 million after taxes.

1995: Cuban and Wagner Joined Audionet

In 1995, Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner joined Audionet, founded in 1989, combining their interest in Indiana Hoosier college basketball and webcasting.

1996: Donated to Republican Senator Orrin Hatch

In 1996, Mark Cuban donated $6,000 to Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.

1998: Audionet Became Broadcast.com

In 1998, Audionet was rebranded as Broadcast.com.

October 1999: Largest Single E-commerce Transaction

In October 1999, Mark Cuban made what the Guinness Book of Records recognizes as the "largest single e-commerce transaction" by purchasing a Gulfstream V jet for $40 million over the internet.

1999: Broadcast.com Acquired by Yahoo!

In 1999, Broadcast.com was acquired by Yahoo! for $5.7 billion in Yahoo! stock; it also helped launch the first live-streamed Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

January 4, 2000: Purchased Majority Stake in Dallas Mavericks

On January 4, 2000, Mark Cuban purchased a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr.

2002: Donated to Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren

In 2002, Mark Cuban donated $1,000 to Democratic California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

September 24, 2003: 2929 Entertainment Purchased Landmark Theatres

On September 24, 2003, 2929 Entertainment purchased Landmark Theatres, a chain of 58 arthouse movie theaters.

2003: Cuban Forms Fallen Patriot Fund

In 2003, Mark Cuban established the Fallen Patriot Fund to provide support to the families of U.S. military personnel who were either killed or injured during the Iraq War.

2005: Expressed interest in buying the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins

In 2005, Mark Cuban expressed interest in buying the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.

2005: Investment in Red Swoosh

In 2005, Mark Cuban invested $1.7 million in file-sharing company Red Swoosh, co-founded by Travis Kalanick.

2005: Investment in Brondell Inc. and Goowy Media Inc.

In 2005, Mark Cuban invested in Brondell Inc., which makes the Swash high-tech toilet seat, and Goowy Media Inc., an Internet software startup.

2005: Wanted to purchase Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2005, Mark Cuban wanted to purchase his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates but was rebuffed by then-owner Kevin McClatchy.

April 2006: Announcement of Radio Show

In April 2006, Sirius Satellite Radio announced that Mark Cuban would host his own weekly radio talk show, Mark Cuban's Radio Maverick, but the show has not materialized.

July 2006: Financed Sharesleuth.com

In July 2006, Mark Cuban financed Sharesleuth.com, a website created to uncover fraud in publicly traded companies.

2006: 2929 Entertainment Released "Bubble"

In 2006, 2929 Entertainment released "Bubble", a movie directed by Steven Soderbergh.

2006: Financed the Movie "Redacted"

In 2006, Mark Cuban financed the movie "Redacted" through his film distributor, Magnolia Pictures.

2006: Joined investment group to acquire Pittsburgh Penguins

In 2006, Mark Cuban joined an investment group to attempt to acquire the Pittsburgh Penguins; however, the group's bid was rejected when the team was taken off the market.

2006: Dallas Mavericks Reached NBA Finals

In 2006, the Dallas Mavericks reached their first NBA Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat, under Mark Cuban's ownership.

April 2007: Published "Let's Go, Mavs!"

In April 2007, Mark Cuban partnered with Mascot Books to publish his first children's book, Let's Go, Mavs!.

September 12, 2007: In talks with WWE to create MMA company

On September 12, 2007, Mark Cuban said he was in talks with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to create a mixed martial arts company to compete with UFC. He is now a bondholder of Zuffa, formerly UFC's parent company.

September 2007: Removal of Photographs from Redacted

In September 2007, Mark Cuban, as owner of Magnolia Pictures, removed disturbing photographs from the concluding moments of the movie Redacted, citing copyrights/permissions issues.

October 13, 2007: HDNet Fights premiere

On October 13, 2007, "HDNet Fights", a mixed martial arts promotion organized by Mark Cuban, premiered on HDNet, featuring a fight between Erik Paulson and Jeff Ford.

2007: Red Swoosh Acquired by Akamai

In 2007, Red Swoosh was acquired by Akamai for $19 million.

October 2008: Started Bailoutsleuth.com

In October 2008, Mark Cuban started Bailoutsleuth.com as a portal for oversight over the U.S. government's $700 billion "bailout" of financial institutions. The website no longer exists.

2008: Submitted bid for Chicago Cubs

In 2008, Mark Cuban submitted an initial bid of $1.3 billion to buy the Chicago Cubs and was invited to participate in a second round of bidding.

January 2009: Not selected for final Cubs bidding process

In January 2009, Mark Cuban was not selected to participate in the final bidding process for the Chicago Cubs.

2009: Potential Investment in Uber

In 2009, Travis Kalanick approached Mark Cuban to invest in Uber at a $10 million valuation, but the deal did not materialize.

April 2010: Loaned money to United Football League

In April 2010, Mark Cuban loaned the newly formed United Football League (UFL) $5 million.

August 2010: Actively bid to buy Texas Rangers

In August 2010, Mark Cuban actively bid to buy the Texas Rangers with Jeffrey L. Beck, stopping after placing bids totaling almost $600 million but ultimately losing the deal.

September 2010: Venture Capital Investment in Motionloft

In September 2010, Mark Cuban provided an undisclosed amount of venture capital to store-front analytics company Motionloft.

January 2011: Filed lawsuit against the UFL

In January 2011, Mark Cuban filed a federal lawsuit against the UFL for their failure to repay the loan by the October 6, 2010, deadline.

April 2011: Magnolia Pictures and Landmark Theatres Put Up for Sale

In April 2011, Mark Cuban put Magnolia Pictures and Landmark Theatres up for sale, stating that he would continue to make money from the properties if the desired price was not met.

November 2011: Stated disinterest in Dodgers franchise at $1 billion

In November 2011, Mark Cuban stated to the Los Angeles Times that he didn't think the Dodgers franchise was worth twice what the Rangers were worth, implying he wouldn't be interested in buying the franchise at $1 billion.

November 2011: Wrote "How to Win at the Sport of Business"

In November 2011, Mark Cuban wrote a 30,000-word e-book, How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It.

2011: Expressed interest in becoming a minority owner of the New York Mets

In 2011, Mark Cuban expressed interest in becoming a minority owner of the New York Mets after the owner, Fred Wilpon, announced plans to sell up to a 25% stake in the team.

2011: Joined Shark Tank

In 2011, Mark Cuban joined the ABC reality program Shark Tank as a "shark" investor, starting from season two.

2011: Dallas Mavericks Win NBA Championship

In 2011, Mark Cuban, as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, saw the team win the NBA Championship.

January 2012: Placed bid for Los Angeles Dodgers

In January 2012, Mark Cuban placed an initial bid for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was eliminated before the second round of bidding.

December 19, 2012: Donated to Electronic Frontier Foundation

On December 19, 2012, Mark Cuban donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to support patent reform, funding a new title for staff attorney Julie Samuels: The Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents.

May 2015: Investments on Shark Tank

As of May 2015, Mark Cuban had invested in 85 deals across 111 Shark Tank episodes, totaling $19.9 million.

June 2015: Cuban Donates to Indiana University

In June 2015, Mark Cuban donated $5 million to Indiana University Bloomington to establish the "Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology" inside Assembly Hall, the school's basketball arena.

June 2015: Invested in Unikrn

In June 2015, Mark Cuban invested in the esports betting platform Unikrn.

February 2016: Purchased stake in Professional Futsal League

In February 2016, Mark Cuban purchased a principal ownership stake in the Professional Futsal League.

October 2017: Cuban Considers Presidential Run

In October 2017, Mark Cuban stated he would "definitely" consider running for president if he were single, sparking speculation about his potential future in politics. In October 2017, Cuban said that if he ran for president in 2020, it would be as a Republican, and described himself as "socially a centrist ... but very fiscally conservative".

March 2019: Cuban "Strongly Considering" Independent Presidential Run

In a March 2019 interview with the New York Daily News, Mark Cuban expressed that he was "strongly considering running" for president as an independent candidate, signaling a potential shift in his political strategy.

May 2019: Cuban Awaits "Perfect Storm" for Presidential Run

In May 2019, Mark Cuban indicated that he would only run for president if the circumstances were just right, stating, "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."

2019: Acquisition of Stake in Veldskoen Shoes

In 2019, Mark Cuban, along with others, acquired a 50% stake in Veldskoen Shoes United States business.

June 2020: Cuban Considered Independent Presidential Run in 2020

In a June 2020 interview with CNN and former Obama advisor David Axelrod, Mark Cuban revealed that he had seriously considered running for president that year as an independent candidate. He commissioned a national poll, which showed he would receive only 25% of the vote against President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The June 2020 poll indicated his candidacy would draw votes from both Trump and Biden.

2020: Cuban Helps Delonte West

In 2020, Mark Cuban assisted former NBA player Delonte West, who was homeless, by picking him up from a gas station in Dallas and arranging for a hotel room and treatment at a drug rehabilitation center for him.

2020: Cuban considers challenging President Donald Trump

In 2020, it was speculated that Mark Cuban could have challenged president Donald Trump as a Democrat.

March 4, 2021: Mavericks to accept Dogecoin as payment

On March 4, 2021, Mark Cuban announced that the Dallas Mavericks would begin accepting Dogecoin as payment for both merchandise and tickets to games.

2021: Investment in Injective Protocol and Purchase of Mustang, Texas

In 2021, Mark Cuban backed Injective Protocol, a layer-2 decentralized exchange protocol. Also, in late 2021, Cuban purchased the entire town of Mustang, Texas.

2021: Accepts Dogecoin for Mavericks Merchandise and Tickets

In 2021, Mark Cuban invested in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin and started accepting it as a payment method for Dallas Mavericks merchandise and tickets.

January 2022: Launched Cost Plus Drugs

In January 2022, Mark Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs, aiming to lower generic drug prices for consumers in the U.S.

November 2023: Departure from Shark Tank Announced

In November 2023, Mark Cuban announced that the show's 16th season will be his last on Shark Tank.

November 28, 2023: News reports of Cuban selling share in Mavericks

On November 28, 2023, The Dallas Morning News reported that Mark Cuban was in the process of selling his share in the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson.

December 27, 2023: NBA approved sale of Mavericks stake

On December 27, 2023, the NBA approved the sale of a controlling interest of 73% in the Dallas Mavericks to Miriam Adelson, Sivian, and Patrick Dumont. Cuban reportedly earned $3.5 billion from the sale.