It’s an Autumn Day in the park. Fallen leaves and frayed basketball nets blow in the October Wind. A child approaches an empty court. As he steps inside the line onto the pavement, he tests the air in his ball with a between-the-legs “Earl the Pearl” spin dribble on his way to a layup. He expects the echo of his bouncing ball will soon mean more than his warming up alone, because this echo is the calling of all neighborhood friends for as many pickup games as the October sunlight will allow. Courts like this, all over the world, are the birthplace of NBA Dreams as its Season readies to tip-off this time of year.
30 Teams make up the National Basketball Association. Each Team, as of this 2020-21 “Pandemic” Season, carries a 17-man roster. This means 510 players, at any given time, will make up the most exclusive and premier basketball-playing fraternity in the world.
Approximately 7.8 Billion humans inhabit Earth, putting into perspective the amazingly remarkable accomplishment in becoming one of the active 510. Consider this, there are just 30 business professionals who sign their paychecks. These are the majority-owners who steward the Teams in each of their respective Cities (29 in the U.S. and 1 in Canada). These 30 owners compete with one another in assembling their best possible rosters to win a title, hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, parade down Main Street, lower a banner from the rafters, and ceremoniously unveil championship rings Season to Season. One of these 30 is a former NBA Player and Legend, Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan’s incredible basketball prowess and achievements are well documented. His love for the game is undeniable. What do we know about his other fellow owners in this regard? Like the mass majority of basketball lovers, these 29 did not become part of the active 510 as His Airness did. Though, unlike the mass majority, all 30 have gone forward in their business lives to achieve the fantastical status of NBA Team Ownership.
Surely MJ is the most famous of the 30, likely followed by Mark Cuban the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The Dot-com Billionaire and celebrity “Shark Tank” investor purchased the Mavs in 2000. He has been known to workout before Mavs’ Home Games by getting up shots on the American Airlines Center’ Court. This has caught the attention of opposing teams and motivated a game of HORSE challenge over the years. Cuban has undoubtedly surprised a few of his opponents with his range.
Mark Cuban’s love of basketball and passion for his Mavs is evident and commendable. Though, at times, his passion has runneth over resulting in millions of dollars-worth of fines paid to the NBA for contending a call was missed or was incorrectly made against his Mavs. Much of his contention can be seen from his courtside seats, directly next to the Mavs' bench, he purchased as a season ticket holder years ago prior to buying the Team from Ross Perot Jr. It cannot be said he has no basis for debate. He began playing the game at 6 years of age and continues to play to this day at 62 as he explains, “pre-pandemic, I would go and play pickup 1 or 2 times a week.”
Before Cuban bought the Mavs in 2000, the Team suffered through one of the worst decades of losing in professional sports history. Their record in the 1990’s was 239-549. In 1998, Cuban’s professional fortunes would change with his sell of Broadcast.com to Yahoo. Mavs’ hardwood fortunes would also soon change with two 1998 draft night trades, orchestrated by Don and Donnie Nelson, netting them virtual unknowns but eventual NBA Legends Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. Shortly after, worlds collided in those few feet between Cuban’s courtside seats and the Mavs' bench -- the outcome: Cuban’s purchase of the Team and its unfathomable turnaround with a record of 563-257 in the 2000’s. This greatest decade in Mavs’ history culminated in what Cuban regards as his most cherished basketball moment, “winning an NBA Championship” in 2011.
It seems some things are just meant to be. With love, passion and hard work as key ingredients indeed greatness is possible. Though, Cuban affirmed this may not always mean playing professional basketball. When asked if he ever envisioned such he humored, “hahaha, no I grew a bunch after high school. I wasn’t great, but I could shoot, was physical and had a motor.” Playing regularly, he points out the “great cardio and stress release” benefits by doing so. From a relationship and community perspective, Cuban shares “it’s the camaraderie” basketball offers that is so special. He continues, “When you play in an ongoing pickup game with people, you will become friends with them and always be excited to see them.” It is generational and familial for him as well. All three of his children play the sport. He described the great joy this brings him, “It’s always a blast! If they are having fun, I have fun.” In the end, isn’t his exclamation what sport and life should be about? Cue the wise parental advice before that first league game: Just have fun.
Or better yet, have a blast!
The sun has now dropped on that Pittsburgh Park, and the nets blow in a chillier October Wind. A grade school Mark Cuban and his friends are more than warmed up having played for hours. Channeling his favorite player, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, he and his buddies just won by 2. They’ve got good moonlight to work with, winner stays status, and NBA Dreams to realize whether young Mark knows it at the time or not…
-Dusty Mat, 2021
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