Mark Cuban: NBA shouldn’t punish tanking teams

Mark Cuban is among those who think the NBA might be fighting the wrong battle.

The former majority owner of the Mavericks says the league should embrace tanking, not punish it, and believes the fan experience is the most overlooked part of the conversation.

“Few can remember the score from the last game they saw or went to,” Cuban wrote on X. “They can’t remember the dunks or shots. What they remember is who they were with. Their family, friends, a date. That’s what makes the experience special.”

Cuban’s comments come after the NBA fined the Jazz $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for sitting healthy players, warning that actions compromising competitive integrity will not be tolerated.

Cuban pushed back hard.

“The worst s— that 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,” Cuban wrote. “And they threaten you with losing picks.”

He pointed to Dallas’ path to drafting Luka Doncic in 2018, noting the Mavericks went 24-58 the season prior and were later fined $600,000.

“We didn’t tank often. Only a few times over 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it,” Cuban wrote. “It got us to where we could improve, trade up to get Luka and improve our team.”

Cuban, who still owns a minority stake in the Mavericks, also argued that affordability matters more to fans than tanking itself, and that fans want transparency and hope, not spin.

During All-Star Weekend, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged tanking has worsened this season and said the league is considering all remedies, including draft pick penalties.

But Cuban’s stance is clear: Fans know when teams are rebuilding. Pretending otherwise, he says, is the real problem.