Mavericks allegations could dog potential Cuban campaign
AUSTIN, Texas — Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and driving force behind TV’s “Shark Tank,” has for months teased the notion of running for president in 2020 in a campaign that could mirror President Donald Trump’s blend of reality television and politics in a ride to the White House.
But Cuban’s would-be political career could be derailed before it even gets started by sexual harassment and misconduct allegations within his team. The allegations range from a history of sexually suggestive remarks by a former team executive, to another employee being accused of domestic assault.
They leave Cuban facing deep questions about his leadership and how a team owner with a reputation for meticulous attention to detail could not be aware of nearly two decades of problems.
At his first public appearance since allegations were first reported by Sports Illustrated on Feb. 20, Cuban on Monday deflected questions about how much he knew was going on under his watch. The Mavericks have hired outside investigators to look into the allegations raised by the magazine.