The Inspiring Story of Mark Cuban: From Bargain-Hunting For Chicken To Becoming A Billionaire

Entrepreneur and Shark Tank personality Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, may boast a net worth of $5.1 billion, but there was once a time when he had to scrap it out and count on grocery bargains to feed himself.

What Happened: Late last year, Cuban recalled the time he didn’t have the freedom to eat what he wanted in an episode of the “Club Random” podcast with Bill Maher. 

“I used to go to the grocery store at midnight because they lowered the price of chicken and these big french fries to $1.29. I would buy a bunch of them,” he said, adding that he had "credit cards cut up" and "bill collectors" on his trail. 

Cuban also described how he got his first car, explaining that he was driving from Indiana to Dallas one day and saw a car on the side of a road. He said he asked his friends to stop because he assumed that someone had abandoned the car because they couldn’t make payments on it. As expected, the car was unlocked and contained a little envelope with loan papers in it. The billionaire said he then wasted no time in calling the bank listed on the paper and taking over the payments.

The best part of being rich now is the freedom it offers, Cuban told Maher. Now, “I get to control my time,” he said. 

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Why It’s Important: Cuban’s tough early years contributed greatly to his current success. The outspoken billionaire used to sell garbage bags from door to door when he was 12 years in order to buy sneakers, he said during a 2021 talk at Duke University.

Cuban recalled that, when he arrived in Dallas as a 24-year-old, he had little cash, wrinkled clothes and a sleeping bag. He was also forced to share a three-bedroom apartment with five other guys.

Despite coming to Texas after the oil boom had ended, Cuban said in a 2011 interview with Dallas Morning News that he had an intense drive and that his unflattering past motivated him to strive for better. 

“No matter where, I was going to try to do what I could do, anyway. I think the bigger thing was I had nothing. So I had nothing to lose, right? It was all about going for it,” he said

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Photo: Gage Skidmore via flickr