According to the media, the North American basketball league NBA has approved the sale of the majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks by the previous owner Mark Cuban.
As the AP news agency reported on Wednesday (December 27, 2023), the shares for a sum of around 3.5 billion dollars (3.2 billion euros) will in future be held by two families who are active in the casino business in Las Vegas .
Cuban will continue to be responsible for operational basketball operations for the Mavericks, and there should be no signs that the team is leaving Dallas. Under the direction of the 65-year-old Cuban, who has been the owner since 2000, and with the help of Dirk Nowitzki on the field, the Mavericks became NBA champions in 2011.
Gambling illegal in Texas
The new owners around future Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont and his mother-in-law Miriam Adelson operate the Las Vegas Sands casino company. Adelson is the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Cuban had said he was seeking the partnership to build a new hall in downtown Dallas that would also include a hotel and casino. However, gambling is currently illegal in the US state of Texas.