Mark Cuban is not interested in investing in an NBA Europe team

The former owner of the Dallas Mavericks talks about the fan base in Europe and the investment of money in the future league

By Javier Molero/ jmolero@eurohoops.net

NBA Europe opens a door for American executives and athletes to invest in the future league that will be important in European basketball.

Mark Cuban, one of the biggest names in NBA management in recent decades, is not “happy” with the idea of ​​investing in an NBA Europe project. He has called it a “hornest’ nest”. This is how he explained it to Front Office Sports. 

“I can pay $500 million, $1 billion, and then take over a marketplace that probably hates me going in. Because they’re so tied to their team, if I come in as NBA Europe—that fanbase, particularly if I’m using an incumbent team that’s big-time right?”, Cuban asked.

“And it’s run differently, you risk just being shunned, and I’m like, ‘I ain’t stepping into that hornet’s nest.’ I’d rather be the hero that comes in with the team that everyone underestimates, like the Mavs when I bought them, build it up, work my way up, relegate somebody else, and be a $1 billion team then. That would be beautiful. But I ain’t giving you $1 billion so people can give you shit the whole time”, he continued.

He made it clear at all times that he would look for something more “under the radar”, from less to more.“I can buy a team in a smaller league, win that country’s league and work my way up”, Cuban said to Front Office Sports.

“All of that money is just supposed to go right to the owners,” Cuban said. “This is just an equity valuation play for the owners. It’s smart. I would have been all for it. There’s no downside as an [NBA] owner. But you have to look at the fanbases”, he concluded.