Mark Cuban called Trump dangerous, campaigned across six states for Kamala Harris, and insulted every woman who voted Republican.
Then he cashed a $3.5 billion check from Miriam Adelson – the woman who wrote $106 million check to put Trump back in the White House.
Now Mark Cuban says he regrets who he sold to.
Mark Cuban Campaigned Against Trump While Cashing Adelson's Check
Cuban wasn't a casual critic during the 2024 election.
He was Harris's most visible business surrogate – the face of "Business Leaders For Harris," the guy on The View telling America that Trump intimidates strong, intelligent women.
Karoline Leavitt fired back directly, calling Cuban's comments an insult to millions of conservative women.
Trump called him a loser on Truth Social.
While all of that was happening, Cuban already owned 27% of a franchise controlled by Miriam Adelson – the third-largest donor to the Trump campaign, behind only Elon Musk and Timothy Mellon.
He sold the Mavericks in December 2023 at a $3.5 billion valuation.
Adelson then put $106 million directly into electing the man Cuban spent the following year trying to defeat.
https://twitter.com/bballforever_/status/2039149511738835385?s=20
Cuban knew exactly who the Adelsons were when he signed the papers.
Mark Cuban Regrets the Luka Doncic Trade He Had No Power to Stop
When the sale closed, Cuban told anyone who would listen that he would remain in control of basketball operations.
"Nothing really changes except my bank account," he said at the time.
He was wrong.
Patrick Dumont – Adelson's son-in-law and newly installed team governor – moved quickly to sideline Cuban from any meaningful role.
When GM Nico Harrison orchestrated the Luka Dončić trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025, Cuban found out via phone call after the deal was already done.
He was at a conference in Florida when Harrison texted asking him to call.
Cuban assumed it was about a potential trade being discussed.
"I thought he was asking me what I thought about a potential trade for Luka," Cuban said on the Intersections podcast. "He was like, 'No, Mark. It's done.'"
The trade is now widely regarded as one of the worst in NBA history.
Harrison was fired in November 2025 with the team sitting at 3-8.
Cuban lobbied behind the scenes for Harrison's dismissal – lobbying a franchise he no longer controlled, for outcomes he had no power to enforce.
He Knew Who He Was Selling To
Cuban has now said publicly what he'd been grumbling about privately for over a year.
"I don't regret selling," he told the Intersections podcast. "I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I'll leave it at that."
https://twitter.com/CourtsideBuzzX/status/2038751065571463396?s=20
This is at least the third version of Cuban's regret.
In August 2025, he said he regretted how he did it – he should have put the team on the open market.
The Celtics sold for $6.1 billion that spring. The Lakers sold for a record $10 billion. Cuban locked in at $3.5 billion in 2023.
"Financially it was not a good move for me," he admitted.
Now he's escalated to regretting the buyer herself.
But notice what Cuban never says: that he didn't know who the Adelsons were.
He knew. Their politics were not a secret. The family had directed hundreds of millions to Republican causes for years.
Cuban chose them anyway, told himself he'd retain control, and is now publicly complaining about the consequences of his own deal.
Cuban Complained to the People He Chose
The regret tour has a structural problem Cuban doesn't mention: the Adelson family holds an option to buy another 20% stake from him.
That drops him from 27% to roughly 7% – a spectator with a minority check and a podcast.
He bought the Mavericks in 2000 for $285 million.
Built them into a championship franchise. Watched Dirk Nowitzki hoist the trophy.
Then handed the keys to one of Trump's biggest donors while screaming from campaign stages that Trump was dangerous.
The Adelsons didn't ambush Mark Cuban.
He picked up the phone. He negotiated the terms. He signed his name.
And then he spent a full year telling America that the people he'd just done business with were a threat to democracy.
https://twitter.com/pulsebyshot/status/2039018549025374718?s=20
Now he's on a podcast complaining about it.
That's not a crisis of conscience.
That's a billionaire who wanted the money, wanted to keep running the team, and got neither – and thinks going public with his regret is somehow different from accountability.
It isn't.
Cuban knew exactly who Miriam Adelson was in December 2023.
The $106 million she wired to Trump's campaign the following year wasn't a surprise. It was the whole point of who she is.
He took the check. He lost the team. He lost Luka.
And now he wants sympathy for the consequences of his own deal.
Sources:
- "Mark Cuban Says He Regrets Selling Mavericks to Adelson, Dumont Families," ESPN, March 31, 2026.
- "Mark Cuban Regrets Selling Mavs to Adelson Family," Front Office Sports, March 31, 2026.
- "Mark Cuban Confirms to WFAA He Regrets Selling Dallas Mavericks to Adelson Family," WFAA, March 31, 2026.
- "Trump Campaign Blasts Top Harris Surrogate Mark Cuban for 'Insulting' Pro-Trump Women," Fox News, October 31, 2024.
- "Miriam Adelson Gives $100 Million to Trump Campaign," Times of Israel, October 17, 2024.
- "Mark Cuban Said He Regrets Selling the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson Family," CBS Texas, March 31, 2026.
