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| Birth Name(s) : Mark Cuban |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Public Figure |
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Full Mark Cuban Biography
Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American billionaire entrepreneur. He is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA franchise and Chairman of HDNet, an HDTV cable network.
Mark Cuban grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania; a suburb of Pittsburgh in a working class family; his father was an automobile upholsterer. Cuban's first step into the business world occurred at age 12, when he sold garbage bags in order to pay for a pair of expensive basketball shoes. While in school, he held a variety of jobs, including bartending, disco dancing instructor, and party promotion. He earned his way to college by collecting and selling stamps, and once gained about $1,100 from starting a chain letter.
After the sale, Cuban diversified his wealth to avoid exposure to a market crash. As of 2007, Cuban is #407 on Forbes' "World's Richest People" list, with a net worth of $2.3 billion. The Guinness Book of Records credits Cuban with the "largest single e-commerce transaction," $40 million for his Gulfstream V jet in October 1999.
Cuban was featured on the cover of the November 2003 premiere issue of Best magazine, announcing the arrival of High Definition Television. Cuban also was co-founder (with Philip Garvin) of HDNet, the first high-definition satellite television network.
In February 2004, Cuban announced that he would be working with ABC television to produce a reality television series called The Benefactor. The premise of the six-episode series involved 16 contestants vying to win $1 million by participating in various contests, with their performances being judged by Cuban. It premiered on September 13, 2004 but, due to poor ratings, was cancelled before the full season aired.
Cuban financially supported Grokster in the Supreme Court case, MGM v. Grokster. He is also a partner in Synergy Sports Technology, a web based basketball scouting and video delivery tool, used by many NBA teams.
In 2005, Cuban invested in Brondell Inc., a San Francisco startup making a high-tech toilet seat called a Swash that works like a bidet but mounts on a standard toilet. "People tend to approach technology the same way," Cuban joked, "whether it's in front of them, or behind them." He also invested in Goowy Media Inc., a San Diego internet software startup.
In July 2006, Cuban financed Sharesleuth.com, a web site created by former St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigative reporter Christopher Carey to uncover fraud and misinformation in publicly traded companies. Experimenting with a new business model for making online journalism financially viable, Cuban disclosed he would take positions in the shares of companies mentioned in Sharesleuth.com in advance of publication. Business and legal analysts questioned the appropriateness of shorting a stock prior to making public pronouncements which are likely to result in losses in that stock's value. Cuban insisted that the practice is legal in view of full disclosure.
During the 2005-06 NBA season, Cuban started a booing campaign when former Maverick player Michael Finley returned to play against the Mavs as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In a playoff series between the Mavericks and Spurs, Cuban cursed Spurs forward Bruce Bowen. and was fined $200,000 by the NBA for rushing onto the court and criticizing NBA officials.. After the 2006 NBA Finals, Cuban was fined $250,000 by the NBA for repeated misconduct following the Mavericks' loss to the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2006 NBA Finals.
In February 2007, Cuban publicly criticized NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, and declared that he would get fined if he made any comments about what he thought really happened in the 2006 NBA Finals.
In 2005, Cuban expressed interest in buying the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2006, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Cuban had joined an investment group with Dan Marino, Kevin Millevoi, Andy Murstein, and Walnut Capital principals Gregg Perelman and Todd Reidbord to acquire the Pittsburgh Penguins..
At World Wrestling Entertainment's 2003 Survivor Series, Cuban was involved in a staged altercation with RAW GM Eric Bischoff and RAW Superstar Randy Orton.
Cuban followed up his intentions by organizing "HDNet Fights" a mixed martial arts promotion which airs exclusively on HDNet and premiered on October 13th, 2007 with a card headlined by a fight between Erik Paulson and Jeff Ford as well as fights featuring veterans Drew Fickett and Justin Ellers.
Cuban was one of the 12 contestants on the 5th season of the ABC Show Dancing with the Stars . He was partnered with show veteran Kym Johnson. After making the cut for four weeks, they were eliminated on 23 October 2007. They were the fifth couple to go after welterweight boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and professional partner Karina Smirnoff were sent packing the week before.
Cuban is an admirer of Objectivist philosophy and author/philosopher Ayn Rand: "The Fountainhead was incredibly motivating to me. It encouraged me to think as an individual, take risks to reach my goals, and responsibility for my successes and failures. I loved it." His political views lean towards libertarianism, however, he holds a position on a centrist Unity08 political organization's advisory council. |
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