Mark Cuban

Since Mark Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 4, 2000, the face of the organization has changed dramatically.

Under his leadership, the team’s home games have become more than just an ordinary NBA event – they have become a total entertainment experience. That party atmosphere he helped instill, with the return of the “Reunion Rowdies”, has carried over into the creation of the “Mavericks ManiAACs” at American Airlines Center.

Cuban’s whatever-it-takes attitude and commitment to winning has grabbed everyone’s attention. From his first introduction to the team to the end of his first season as owner, the players responded with a 31-19 record, including a 9-1 mark in April.

The organization’s upward trend has continued since. Dallas has won at least 50 games in 12 of the last 19 seasons and has advanced to the NBA Playoffs in 15 of the last 19 years.

In 2006-07, the Mavericks won a franchise-high 67 games and posted the NBA’s seventh-best record in history. Dallas won 60 games in 2002-03 and 2005-06, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in both seasons. The Mavericks made the franchise’s first appearance in the NBA Finals in 2006 and again in 2011, winning the World Championship vs. the Miami Heat.

Cuban has been successful in bringing a sense of pride and passion to Mavericks fans – presenting himself as the ultimate role model, cheering from the same seats he has had for many seasons. He is the first owner in team sports to encourage fan interaction through e-mail. It was through this personal touch that fans throughout the Metroplex, and around the world, began to notice Cuban’s energetic personality and take notice of the Mavericks. He has personally responded to hundreds of thousands of e-mails and several suggestions from fans have led to innovative changes.

Prior to his purchase of the Mavericks in January 2000, Cuban co-founded Broadcast.com, the leading provider of multimedia and streaming on the Internet. Broadcast.com was sold to Yahoo! Inc. in July of 1999. MicroSolutions, a leading national systems integrator, was co-founded by Cuban and partner Martin Woodall in 1983 and later sold to CompuServe.

In addition to his ownership of the Mavericks, Cuban has also been an investor in start-ups including Mahalo, JungleCents.com, motionlift.com, Filesanywhere.com, Naked Pizza and 140fire.com. Along with partner Todd Wagner, he also co-owns The Landmark Theater chain, Magnolia Pictures and Magnolia Home Video.

A graduate of Indiana University, Cuban hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., and resides in Dallas.