Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban married Tiffany Stewart in 2002 in a private ceremony in Barbados. They have three children together, including daughters Alexis and Alyssa and a son named Jake.

Cuban was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in the suburb of Mt. Lebanon in a working-class family. His father, Norton Cuban, worked as an automobile upholsterer, while his mother, Shirley, pursued a series of different jobs and career goals. Cuban has two brothers, Brian and Jeff, and his family is of Eastern European Jewish descent.

Cuban began selling products at age 12, when he went door to door with garbage bags to save for a pair of expensive shoes. He later sold stamps and coins, and at 16 used a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strike to run newspapers from Cleveland to Pittsburgh.

He studied at the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Indiana University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management in 1981. While in college, he gave disco lessons, promoted parties, and operated other small ventures. After graduation, he worked at Mellon Bank and moved to Dallas in 1982.

In Dallas, Cuban worked as a bartender and software salesperson before founding MicroSolutions. The company became a systems integrator and software reseller, and Cuban sold it to CompuServe in 1990.

In 1995, Cuban and fellow Indiana University alumnus Todd Wagner developed Audionet, an online service created partly to stream Indiana Hoosiers basketball games. The company became Broadcast.com and expanded into live audio and video streaming. Broadcast.com went public in 1998 and was acquired by Yahoo in 1999.

Cuban and Wagner later co-founded 2929 Entertainment, a media company involved in film production, distribution, and exhibition. Their ventures included Magnolia Pictures, Magnolia Home Entertainment, Landmark Theatres, and 2929 Productions. The 2005 film Bubble was released simultaneously in theaters, on television, and on DVD, reflecting Cuban's interest in changing traditional film-release windows.

Cuban also founded HDNet, later known as AXS TV, with Philip Garvin in 2001. The network was established as an all-high-definition television service.

Cuban purchased the Dallas Mavericks in 2000 from Ross Perot Jr. He took an unusually visible role as an owner, sitting among fans rather than in a traditional private box and frequently speaking publicly about players, referees, and league policy.

The Mavericks reached the NBA Finals in 2006 and won their first NBA championship in 2011 by defeating the Miami Heat. Dirk Nowitzki was the team's star during its championship season. Cuban's ownership also brought changes to the team's presentation, technology, player development, and fan experience.

Cuban sold majority control of the Mavericks in 2023 but retained a minority stake and continued to be involved with the team.

Cuban joined ABC's Shark Tank as an investor in 2011. He became known for direct questioning and large investments in entrepreneurs appearing on the program. His television work also included Dancing with the Stars, Entourage, and the film Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, in which he played President Marcus Robbins.

His investment activity has covered technology, consumer products, media, cryptocurrency, and sports. He has also written Let's Go, Mavs! and How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It.

In 2022, Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs after working with physician Alex Oshmyansky. The online pharmacy was created to offer generic medications with transparent pricing and a limited markup.

Cuban has taken part in political commentary and presidential campaigns without holding elected office. He endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, supported Joe Biden in 2020, and endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024. He also joined Business Leaders for Harris with LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and other business executives.

In 2003, Cuban founded the Fallen Patriot Fund to assist families of U.S. military personnel killed or injured during the Iraq War. He later supported Indiana University, including the creation of the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media and Technology, and helped former NBA player Delonte West obtain rehabilitation treatment in 2020.