The eccentric Mark Cuban is a savvy tech billionaire who has a history of making big money deals. In another solid move, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks is selling the majority of his stakes to the Adelson family. The deal is worth $3.5 billion if it goes through. His success in business is not just a stroke of luck. Mark Cuban is a true dealmaking prodigy. Long before, he acquired the Mavericks in 2000 for a relatively modest $285 million. 

Cuban struck gold in the tech industry, making a fortune that dwarfs the recent sale of the Mavericks. 

Mark Cuban and his fortune

In September 1995, Mark co-founded Audionet with fellow friend Todd Wagner and they offered live programs online. Audionet delivered live audio and video broadcasts over the internet when the internet had not really become a thing. There were some inhibitions initially, like who would listen to a game rather than watch it on television? Mark knew that the technology would work in their favor and in 1999, he struck gold. It was later renamed as broadcast.com.

It was acquired by Yahoo! for a staggering $5.7 billion. This deal made him an instant billionaire and cemented his reputation as a revolutionary businessman. When this amount is adjusted for inflation in today’s dollars, $5.7 billion would be equivalent to a mind-boggling $10,526,558,800. This means that Cuban’s Audionet deal was nearly three times more lucrative than the recent sale of the Mavericks for $3.5 billion.

Mark is a fan favorite for Mavs’s success 

The 65-year-old recognized the potential of the internet long before it became mainstream. The sale of Audionet made him wealthy, but he didn’t just sit on one laurel. He propelled the Mavs to succeed with his genius marketing and knack for doing business. 

READ MORE: Billionaire Mark Cuban Unearths How Mavericks’ Master Plan to Bag 1 Celtics Legends Failed, Courtesy of Stringent Trade Conditions

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The Mavs missed the playoffs in the last season but the team is on a great start this season. They are legitimate contenders with superstar Luka Doncic, who is with Dallas for at least three more seasons. What are your thoughts on Mark’s long relationship with the Dallas Mavericks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.