Now a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban argued on social media why the NBA should encourage tanking instead of penalizing it.
Few NBA voices are as outspoken — or as colorful — as Mark Cuban, the former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
With tanking once again a hot topic in the league, Cuban is challenging conventional wisdom, arguing that the NBA should embrace the practice rather than punish teams for planning for the future in a post on a post on X, formerly as Twitter, on Tuesday, February 17.
"The NBA [has] been misguided thinking that fans want to see their teams compete every night with a chance to win. It’s never been [that way]. When I got into the NBA, they thought they were in the basketball business. They aren’t. They are in the business of creating experiences for fans," he started.
Cuban then continued: “The NBA should worry more about fan experience than tanking. What they remember is who they were with. Their family, friends, a date. That’s what makes the experience special.”
Cuban, who still owns a minority stake in the Mavericks, contends that tanking — deliberately losing games to secure higher draft picks — can be a legitimate rebuilding tool that ultimately benefits fans.
He points to the Mavericks’ 2017-18 season, when the team went 24-58, setting the stage to acquire former franchise star Luka Doncic back in the 2018 NBA draft.
“We didn’t tank often. Only a few times over 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. And it got us to where we could improve, trade up to get Luka, and improve our team,” he wrote.
“The worst [expletive] the NBA dishes out is that if you don’t lie to your fans about what you are doing, even though it’s obvious to them, you get fined. And they threaten you with losing picks,” Cuban continued.
The NBA pushes back
The debate gained momentum after the Utah Jazz ($500,000) and Indiana Pacers ($100,000) were fined for sitting healthy players late in games.
[RELATED: NBA hands $500K fine to Jazz, $100K to Pacers over roster management]
Commissioner Adam Silver warned that the league would not tolerate actions that compromise its integrity.
He also said the NBA is considering all remedies to address tanking, calling it “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory.”
"We're going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams' behavior and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice," Silver said.
[RELATED: Adam Silver says NBA exploring all remedies to address tanking problem]
Hope, Not Just Wins
Cuban, however, maintains that fans care more about the experience than every game’s outcome.
“You know who cares the least about tanking? A parent who can’t afford to bring their three kids to a game and buy their kids a jersey of their favorite player,” he wrote.
“[The NBA] should worry more about pricing fans out of games than tanking.”
He added that tanking signals a team is planning for the future.
"Fans know their team can’t win every game, but they want hope that their team can improve, compete in the playoffs, and possibly win a championship."
[RELATED: 2026 NBA All-Star Game draws highest rating since in 15 years]
Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.