NBA approves sale of Dallas Mavericks to families that run Las Vegas Sands casino company

DALLAS – In a move that could redefine the game both on and off the court, the NBA greenlit the seismic transfer of power over the Dallas Mavericks. Mark Cuban, the team’s spirited owner, passed the torch of control to the influential families steering the Las Vegas Sands casino empire.

The official nod came just a whisker short of a month since the ambitious intention to acquire the club was declared by the Adelson and Dumont clans, valuing the transaction at a staggering $3.5 billion.

Patrick Dumont, the adept son-in-law of Miriam Adelson and the illustrious President and COO of Las Vegas Sands, steps in as the Mavericks’ new governor. Adelson herself, widow to the casino titan Sheldon Adelson, stands as a formidable force behind this high-stakes move.

While Cuban retains a grip on the basketball operations, the heart of Mavericks action is predicted to stay put in Dallas. Yet, the whispers of a grand vision linger—a collaborative effort with Las Vegas Sands to fashion an arena in downtown Dallas, an ambitious project housing not just the game but also a sprawling hotel and casino.

The gamble, however, is Texas itself. With its stringent gambling laws, the Lone Star State has been a tough nut to crack. Miriam Adelson hasn’t been shy about her aspirations, channeling over $2 million into the Texas Sands PAC last year, enticing state legislators with generous donations and flooding the GOP stronghold with relentless lobbying efforts. Even a separate $1 million contribution to Republican Governor Greg Abbott didn’t tip the scales in their favor.

It’s an uphill battle familiar to another NBA magnate, Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and a casino tycoon in his own right. Despite Fertitta’s parallel support for casino legalization in Texas, the legislative doors have remained resolutely shut.

The news of the Mavericks changing hands arrived like a lightning bolt, hot on the heels of Las Vegas Sands’ bombshell announcement that Adelson was divesting $2 billion of her shares to snag an unspecified professional sports team.

The ramifications of this game-changing sale extend beyond the courts. While Cuban’s involvement in basketball decisions seems set to endure, his looming departure from the widely popular TV spectacle “Shark Tank” after its 16th season next year hints at a potential shift in his spotlight presence.

Cuban, a vibrant owner known for his outspoken demeanor since his 2000 takeover, has been a fixture at Mavericks games, his courtside fervor matched only by his unfiltered candor. Over the years, the NBA has slapped him with hefty fines for lambasting officiating and more recently for airing his views on tanking for draft picks.

Dallas, once a struggling outfit in the 1990s, underwent a dramatic transformation under Cuban’s stewardship. Aided by the stellar prowess of Dirk Nowitzki, now a revered Basketball Hall of Famer, the team clinched the NBA championship in 2011, cementing their status as a powerhouse.

An avid hoops enthusiast with roots in Indiana University, Cuban’s presence at Mavericks games is almost a given. Even as the winds of change gust through the franchise, his involvement in the push to usher casino gambling into Texas could ensure that the spotlight never truly dims.