Mark Cuban Led The Dallas Mavericks By Example In Early Days: 'If You're Running A Company,' Do This

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban made headlines in 2000 when he bought the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the owner of a National Basketball Association (NBA) team.

Cuban put himself front and center and led by example with cold sales calls after taking over the team.

Here’s a look at how Cuban didn’t act like a big head honcho and CEO.

What Happened: Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million in January 2000, marking the start of his attempts to acquire several sports franchises over the years.

Unlike some team owners who landed huge corner offices and put themselves away from other executives, and may have intimidated lower team members, Cuban decided to lead by example.

Cuban put his desk in an open-plan office alongside nine other salesmen.

“I wanted everybody that worked with me to see that if I asked them to do it, I’ll do it,” Cuban told GQ in an interview. “If you’re running a company and if you can align your interest with those of the people you work with, things are gonna work for you.”

Cuban said he didn’t “give a s*** about an office” but more about earning the respect of the sales team after buying the NBA team.

The Mavericks were bought by Cuban when he was a season ticket holder. The moment of clarity for Cuban was the 1999 home opener when the game was not sold out. Cuban couldn’t fathom how the team hadn’t sold out its home opener.

After buying the team and having a desk with the sales team, Cuban called old clients and pulled out phone books for cold calls.

“Do you realize now that it’s less expensive to come to a Mavericks game than to take your family to McDonald’s,” Cuban would tell people on the phone.

Related Link: Mark Cuban Has 4 Rules For Making Money: How You Can Succeed And Become A Millionaire

Why It’s Important: Leading by example helped turn the Mavericks around.

The Mavericks won the NBA Championship in 2011 and won three division titles and two conference championships since Cuban bought the team.

In the 2022-2023 season, the Mavericks ranked third in NBA attendance, averaging 20,164 per home match and over 100% of listed capacity.

This was a far cry from not selling out their home opener when Cuban saw an opportunity.

In the last Sportico NBA team valuations rankings, the Mavericks were valued at $3.26 billion. This makes the Mavericks the 10th most valuable NBA team and worth nearly $3 billion more than when Cuban bought them.

The story from Cuban could be a good example of working together as a team across sports and business. Teamwork is an important trait as is leading by example.

While not every CEO is willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work to accomplish something, Cuban proved he was more than capable.

Read Next: Why Mark Cuban Isn't Running For US President, 'No Patience For That Bulls***'

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