Mark Cuban's Athletics stake signals pivot from Mavs that 'was not my choice,' he says

DALLAS — Here successful Dallas, quality that Mark Cuban is portion of a backstage equity steadfast that has purchased a number involvement successful MLB's Athletics produced 2 seemingly logical takeaways.

The archetypal is that Cuban, who tried to bargain the bankrupt Texas Rangers successful 2010 and has been a long-speculated imaginable purchaser of his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates, yet has a toehold successful pro baseball.

The other? Cuban is pivoting distant from his beloved Mavericks, the NBA franchise helium owned from 2000 to 2023 and successful which helium inactive has a 27% stake, but from which he's go progressively estranged.

"The pivot distant from the Mavs was not my choice," Cuban told The Dallas Morning News connected Friday, a time aft Harbinger Sports Partners, of which helium is wide spouse and president, bought an undisclosed percent of the A's.

"I person spoken connected the telephone erstwhile with Masai [Ujiri] for astir 120 seconds," Cuban continued, successful effect to emailed questions from The News. "Same with Patrick [Dumont]; time of [Ujiri's] hiring.

"I've had 2 texts with Masai, some I deliberation possibly 2 oregon 3 connection responses, a mates with nary response. Which is fine. His choice. I perfectly expected it erstwhile they hired Masai. That's wherefore they hired him. To tally basketball.

"Fans are excited to spot what happens and arsenic a Mavs fan, truthful americium I."

Ujiri was hired arsenic the Mavericks' president and named alternate politician May 4. Given Cuban's actions this month, his communications with franchise enactment apt volition stay scant, if immoderate words are exchanged astatine all.

Cuban's ineligible counsel submitted a tribunal filing July 8 successful Dallas County alleging that Dumont has engaged successful "adversarial concern practices." The filing asks that Mavericks bulk ownership beryllium forced to disclose details astir the franchise's planned Valley View arena development, financing and firm structure.

Court documents for that imaginable suit person been sealed, though it's unclear who requested that enactment and why. Cuban connected Friday declined to respond to The News' questions astir the ineligible proceeding oregon to qualify his narration with Dumont.

Cuban and the Athletics

He did, however, concisely sermon his task with Atlanta-based Harbinger Sports Partners. The radical was established successful May 2025 with Cuban arsenic a founding subordinate and erstwhile chap Shark Tank panelist and Atlanta Falcons constricted spouse Rashaun Williams arsenic main concern officer.

Cuban said Shark Tank is wherever helium met "and got to beryllium bully friends" with Williams.

Harbinger's enactment besides includes main fiscal serviceman and erstwhile MLB enforcement vice president Jonathan Mariner and main enforcement serviceman Steve Cannon, Mercedes-Benz's erstwhile CEO and a longtime Falcons executive.

"They are astute and experienced," Cuban said. "Mariner, Rashaun, Cannon each person spot connected experience."

On its website, Harbinger describes itself arsenic "the adjacent generation" of sports concern firms.

"Harbinger Sports Partners identifies worth inflection points successful premier American sports franchises earlier they go evident to the broader market.

"We are redefining the adjacent procreation of sports investing. Our differentiated attack blends request modeling, taste and operational underwriting, superior structuring, and media strategy to uncover alpha wherever others place it."

In the quality merchandise announcing the A's investment, Williams said Harbinger purposely chose to participate the burgeoning Las Vegas sports market. The A's franchise is successful its 2nd of 3 years of playing location games successful Sacramento earlier moving to a caller $2 cardinal ballpark connected the Las Vegas Strip.

In consequent interviews, Williams hinted Harbinger could beryllium progressive with Las Vegas' NBA team, if league owners assistance the metropolis a franchise aboriginal this year, arsenic expected.

Does becoming an A's number proprietor fulfill Cuban's decades-long itch to go progressive successful large league shot ownership?

"This is simply a fund," helium said. "I told them I'm blessed to assistance wherever I can. But we are a number interest. Not the operating company."

That of people is the aforesaid presumption successful which Cuban finds himself with the Mavericks, connected the extracurricular looking successful arsenic operational decisions are made.

In February, responding to a dubious quality study that unnamed Dallas investors wanted to spouse with Cuban to bargain backmost the Mavericks, the Miriam Adelson and Dumont families issued a connection to The News that ended: "The squad is not for merchantability and the families look guardant to expanding their ownership involvement implicit time."

That was a not-so-subtle reminder that erstwhile they purchased 69% of the Mavericks successful December 2023, the Adelson-Dumont families negotiated a proviso that allows them to acquisition each but 7% of Cuban's 27% involvement by precocious December 2027.

Imagine a script successful which Harbinger and Cuban someday ain a larger involvement successful Las Vegas' NBA squad than Cuban's stock of the Mavericks.

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Staff Writer Devyani Chhetri contributed to this story.

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