Interview Only: Mark Cuban, one-on-one with former Majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show Featuring Mark Cuban - Episode Summary

Release Date: April 6, 2025

Host: Stephen A. Smith

Guest: Mark Cuban, former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, host of ABC’s "Shark Tank," and entrepreneur.

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1. Introduction and Personal Updates

Stephen A. Smith ([01:21]) opens the episode by warmly welcoming Mark Cuban, highlighting his roles as the host of "Shark Tank," minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and speculating humorously about a potential presidential run.

Mark Cuban ([02:02]) shares personal updates, emphasizing the positive developments in his family and business ventures:

“My kids, you know, my freshman. My son is playing basketball this season. My daughter got a rowing scholarship... Everybody's healthy. My wife is happy.” ([02:02])

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2. Selling Majority Stake in the Dallas Mavericks

Stephen A. Smith ([02:21]) delves into Cuban's decision to sell the majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, a move that surprised many given his 23-year tenure.

Mark Cuban ([02:48]) explains his reasons:

“One family. ... I was missing too much of that... The NBA has evolved... It didn't play to my strengths any longer.” ([02:48])

He emphasizes the importance of family time and his desire for his children to forge their own paths without the pressures of public ownership:

“I want them to find their own way... Or find their own path.” ([04:21])

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3. Departure from Running Basketball Operations and Luka Doncic Trade

Stephen A. Smith ([05:51]) questions Cuban about his role post-sale, particularly regarding his involvement in basketball operations.

Mark Cuban ([06:21]) reflects on the challenges faced after stepping back:

“We went to the finals... It was never that easy over the course of time... Once I was out of the picture, we really didn't have anybody that had any long term experience in making decisions in the NBA.” ([06:21])

Stephen A. Smith ([07:28]) probes into the controversial trade of star player Luka Doncic:

“Could you have ever imagined yourself trading Luka Doncic?” ([07:28])

Mark Cuban ([07:52]) admits he was blindsided by the decision:

“I don't know... Nico felt it was the best decision...” ([07:58])

He criticizes the lack of contractual safeguards, describing the agreement to maintain his 27% stake as merely a handshake deal:

“It was a handshake agreement... The NBA said no. It's between you and the new ownership.” ([07:04])

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4. Cultural Differences and Player Management

Stephen A. Smith ([10:08]) asks Cuban to elaborate on his views regarding cultural differences affecting player dynamics, particularly with Luka Doncic.

Mark Cuban ([10:08]) discusses the distinct mindset of Balkan players:

“Luka was just... like every other guy... He relates so well to all the other players from that part of the world.” ([10:08])

He emphasizes the necessity of understanding players' cultural backgrounds to make informed decisions:

“You have to accept those differences in players from that part of the world.” ([12:54])

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5. Political Views and Potential Candidacy

Stephen A. Smith ([14:11]) transitions the conversation to politics, highlighting a poll where Mark Cuban leads as a potential vice-presidential candidate.

Mark Cuban ([15:00]) humorously addresses the poll:

“I didn't play second fiddle to nobody.” ([15:00])

He clarifies his stance on not having been offered a position in Donald Trump’s administration:

“No, he didn't offer me a position ever.” ([15:50])

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6. Critique of Current Political Strategies

Stephen A. Smith ([15:28]) challenges Cuban on his support for Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party, questioning the efficacy of their strategies.

Mark Cuban ([19:59]) provides a critical analysis of the Republican Party’s alignment with Donald Trump:

“The Republican Party is the Trump family business now... tariffs are a beautiful word. And we're going to have tariffs. They don't go together at all.” ([18:29])

He critiques the Democrats for not effectively addressing the negative impacts of Trump’s policies:

“The Democrats need to be going there and talking to those people, hold the town halls, listen to them...” ([26:15])

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7. Healthcare Initiatives and AI Technology

Stephen A. Smith ([29:39]) shifts focus to Cuban's business ventures, specifically Cost Plus Drugs, aimed at reducing prescription drug costs.

Mark Cuban ([29:50]) explains the impact of tariffs on his business:

“If there's a 10%, 20% tariff, we'll add that onto the cost... we're almost always cheaper.” ([29:50])

He discusses his ventures in AI, highlighting platforms like Blue Sky and Skylight:

“AI is just the coolest I've ever seen in technology. It’s going to change the world.” ([34:34])

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8. Impact of AI on the Job Market

Stephen A. Smith ([36:27]) raises concerns about AI’s potential to displace jobs.

Mark Cuban ([36:42]) offers a balanced perspective:

“There's going to be disruption during the transition times... It'll create a lot more jobs because it's such a tool that can allow people to be more creative.” ([36:42])

He likens the AI revolution to past technological shifts, acknowledging both challenges and opportunities:

“It's like the old days... people lost their jobs. But there's nothing you can do to stop it globally.” ([36:42])

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9. Thoughts on Kyrie Irving

Stephen A. Smith ([32:02]) brings up Kyrie Irving, asking Cuban's thoughts on the star player.

Mark Cuban ([32:34]) praises Irving, highlighting his resilience and character:

“He has just got a heart of gold... He approaches life where he's like, this is what I've been given... another challenge.” ([32:34])

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10. Future Plans and NBA Insights

In the final segment, Stephen A. Smith ([38:05]) poses a hypothetical question about the NBA Finals, wagering Cuban's 27% stake in the Mavericks.

Mark Cuban ([38:20]) responds with unwavering support for the Mavericks:

“What you're telling me the Dallas Mavericks are going to shock the world? ... you can never get me off of that. Ever.” ([38:20])

Stephen A. Smith ([38:48]) concludes the interview on a light-hearted note, reaffirming their mutual respect:

“Love you, man. It's good to see you, man. Thank you for being on the show.” ([38:48])

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Mark Cuban ([02:02]): “My kids... everybody's healthy. My wife is happy.”
• Mark Cuban ([02:48]): “The NBA has evolved... It didn't play to my strengths any longer.”
• Mark Cuban ([07:58]): “Nico felt it was the best decision.”
• Mark Cuban ([10:08]): “You have to accept those differences in players from that part of the world.”
• Mark Cuban ([15:00]): “I didn't play second fiddle to nobody.”
• Mark Cuban ([19:59]): “The Republican Party is the Trump family business now.”
• Mark Cuban ([29:50]): “We're almost always cheaper.”
• Mark Cuban ([34:34]): “AI is just the coolest I've ever seen in technology.”
• Mark Cuban ([36:42]): “There's going to be disruption... It'll create a lot more jobs.”
• Mark Cuban ([38:20]): “You can never get me off of that. Ever.”

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Conclusion

This episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show offers an in-depth conversation with Mark Cuban, covering his personal life, significant business decisions, insights into the NBA, political views, and perspectives on emerging technologies like AI. Cuban's candid reflections provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of his multifaceted career and his thoughts on current societal and economic issues.

Transcript

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Laura Carenti]

What's up? I'm Laura, host of the podcast Courtside with Laura Carrenti, a masterclass case study of the business of women's sports. I'll be chatting with leaders like tennis icon Alana Kloss.

[Mark Cuban]

I don't do what I do only for women.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I do it for everyone.

[Laura Carenti]

And I want the whole market and innovators like Jenny Nguyen. I would say 50% of the people that come visit the sports bra aren't sports fans. They come to be in community. They come to be part of this culture. Courtside with Laura Carenti is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Courtside with Laura carenti on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Stephen A. Smith]

My next guest is a host of the hit ABC competition show Shark Tank, a minority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, and maybe, just maybe, a presidential candidate for the United States of America. Please welcome to the Stephen A. Smith show, the one and only Mr. Mark Cuban. What's going on? Big time. How are you, man? How's everything?

[Mark Cuban]

It's all good. It's all about you, Mr. Big Money.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I wish, I wish and please, I still don't. I still don't make a penny to your dollar. Stop that nonsense. Don' try it. But listen, I couldn't wait to talk to you right now. First of all, it's great to see you. I hope you're well. How has life been for you since you've sold the majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks?

[Mark Cuban]

I mean it's been great. I mean from a personal perspective, family perspective, business perspective, you know, we're growing. Cost plus drugs dot com. My kids, you know, my, my freshman. My son is playing back play basketball this season. My daughter got a rowing scholarship to. She's happy. My oldest is in college having fun. Everybody's healthy. My wife is happy. I mean this is the way it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Should be when you think about it. I mean, obviously you own the Dallas Mavericks. The majority owner for the Dallas mavericks. Solo for 23 years, for crying out loud. And to give that up. Nobody ever imagined that you would do that. Put into your own words why you had reached that conclusion and it was time to surrender a majority stake in a franchise.

[Mark Cuban]

I mean, one family. You know, I was going to away games and, you know, my kids were getting out of school and moving into their own adult lives, and, you know, I was missing too much of that, which is also the reason why I left Shark Tank. You know, the NBA has evolved over the last 25 years. Where it went from being a very entrepreneurial environment where if someone like myself came in, you know, ideas were welcome to be in a really, you know, a PE type scenario where there were ownership groups, there were private equity groups that were buying into teams and owning teams, and that kind of changed the dynamic, and it really evolved so that in order to. To compete financially, because that's half the battle on the court is one thing, but being able to compete financially is a big part of it as well. It didn't play to my strengths any longer. You know, it really. You hear every single team talk about real estate and expanding in casinos, and that just wasn't my strength, so. And then, you know, the other part, again, going back to family, when you get on social media and you listen to kids and you listen to adults, for that matter, on social media and off, people were getting mean, you know, and if I was looking forward to, you know, 10 years from now, my kids taking over, I just. That's not where I wanted them to be or to go. And, you know, you look at other teams where kids have taken over, sometimes it works. A lot of times it doesn't. And I wanted them to fight their own path, so. Or find their own path, so it just made sense to sell.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Finding their own path is one thing, but I'm genuinely asking you this because I'm really interested in hearing your response. The world is getting uglier. You're absolutely right. And as a guy who's a pundit and can be a critic, even I look at him and be like, you people cross the line. You cross lines I would never even think to cross with the hell's wrong with these people these days. But the flip side to it is that knowing the world that we're living in, knowing how it's regressing before our very eyes, do you really, really believe that you're going to be able to shield your children?

[Mark Cuban]

Oh, no, I didn't say shield. Right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay.

[Mark Cuban]

I never said shield. I want them to find their own way, okay? In sports, it's a different beast, right? Look, and here's the way I explain it. When you win a championship, see that guy back there? You know, in, in any sport, a million people might show up for the parade and they're that passionate and that passion leads to when things are good, everybody loves you. When things are not good, it's not as nearly as much fun that for me, okay? I grew up, you know, before. Grew up in this industry, before social media, I had a great run. But for them to find their own path, they can go wherever they want. They may not want to be in the middle of the storm or they might not even be. Want to be a public figure. They want to. Might want to be very private. One of my kids is like super private and hates the idea of, you know, being out in the public. So, you know, I just, I want them to be curious about life and find their own path. And it's tough when you're the heir apparent for a basketball team.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Now when you sold your team, your the Dallas Mavericks, the majority state, to the Adelson and the Lamont families In December of 2023, you talked about being a minority owner, still maintaining about 27%, if I remember correctly. And you said that you would pretty much be running, still running basketball operations that has.

[Mark Cuban]

That.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That clearly was not the case because Luka Doncic is gone. I'll get into that in a second. But what happened to that role you were supposed to be playing, a role of running basketball operations. What happened to that Mark Cuban?

[Mark Cuban]

I think it was fool's gold. I mean, we went to the finals, you know, it's only been 15 months since they took over and we went right to the finals. And I think everything seemed easy and all decisions that were made seemed to be perfect. And in that particular case, why do you need Mark for any more help? And you know, but it's never that easy over the course of time. And you know, once we, once I was out of the picture, we really didn't have anybody that had any long term experience in making decisions in the NBA. And I think that kind of backfired.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And I guess what I'm asking is, but if you had an agreement where you still own 27% of the franchise and you're going to be running basketball operations, how the hell was that something they were able to wiggle their way out of, how did that happen?

[Mark Cuban]

Well, because it was a handshake agreement and you know, yeah, they decided, you know, I tried to put it in the contract, actually. The NBA said no. They said, basically, it's between you and the new ownership. And, you know, they. They went in their direction again. You know, mistakes happen. You know, I don't think they do it the same way now, but it's only been 15 months, and I think, you know, they've learned from everything that's happened, and I think things will be better for Mavs fans going forward.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The most obvious question you have ever been asked, because we all know the answer. If Mark Cuban is still the owner for the Dallas Mavericks, majority and otherwise. Is Luka Doncic in LA or is he still in Dallas?

[Mark Cuban]

I think he's here, yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Could you have ever imagined yourself trading Luka Doncic?

[Mark Cuban]

No.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Can you explain why the hell they came to that conclusion?

[Mark Cuban]

I don't know.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You still don't know?

[Mark Cuban]

I've heard. I mean, you know, Nico is. You know, I've heard what Nico said publicly, privately, you know, and they align. And so, you know, Nico felt it was the best decision, and Patrick Dumont agreed with them at the time, and they made that decision. And, you know, just. That's the way the NBA works.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Could you educate my audience as to what words were said as to why Luka Doncic was being traded?

[Mark Cuban]

I mean, Nico decided that, you know, defense wins championships, and they thought that he thought that Anthony Davis would be a better anchor for our defense. And look, you know, the truth is, between AD Derek Lively and Derek Gapper, that's the best Big three, Big three in the NBA. But Luka Doncic is a generational talent. So, you know, while there's an argument to be made, and I understand where Nico's coming from, it's just not the same decision I would have made.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So when they told you, where were you and did you collapse in front of their face? Did you go ballistic? What was your immediate reaction upon hearing the news that this generational talent, six years younger than the talent that you was bringing in, although Anthony Davis is a big time player. What was your immediate reaction in the moment when you were first told the news?

[Mark Cuban]

I was like, you're asking me, right? This isn't done. And he was like, no, it's done. And I was like, okay, you know, nothing more to talk about. I wouldn't have done this. And, you know, thanks for giving me the call.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Who did you say that to?

[Mark Cuban]

Who called you Nico?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Wow. Wow. One of the things that was reported, Mark Cuban, is that throughout his years, as much of a generational talent as we all know Luca to be, his dad spoke out in the immediate aftermath of the trade because of the cynicism that was thrown in Luca's direction. Doing his own thing, marching to the beat of his own drum, you know, controlling his circle to some degree, strength and conditioning, et cetera, being in shape, all of these different things. Was it fair criticism? Was it exaggerated? Was he being maligned unnecessarily in your eyes?

[Mark Cuban]

I mean, look, everybody saw him. It wasn't like he was ripped and had a six pack. But what I think that what the biggest mistake was in trying to understand Luka is he's. He's from the Balkans, right? He's Slovenian. And, you know, you look at Jokic, who's Serbian, and you look at Serbian players in general, there's just a different mindset, right? They look at the game different. They look at life differently. They look at their emotionally. You know, the guys that I've gotten to know from that. From that region of the world are different. And I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been, that you've got to understand what people are like, what their backgrounds are like, who they are personally, what their families are like, you know, how they interact with other people and from that part of the world. In my experiences, Luca was just, you know, other than the basketball talent, he was just like every other guy. And, you know, and I think that was one of the reasons he loves to play with the Slovenian team. He relates so well to all the other players from that part of the world. And, you know, over the summers, that's who he's hanging out with. That. That's who he is. And so I don't think that we truly took the time to understand that. And I think that really led to this decision and that. That. And that really underpinned this decision, that lack of attention to that. That issue. And I think that's. Here we are.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Mark, educate us. When you say he was a bit different, not so much about him, but about those players from Europe compared to American players, and you say he's a bit different, Folks needed to understand that kind of thing. What are the kind of things that you noticed about him and about players from overseas, from Europe, et cetera, and.

[Mark Cuban]

How different, not even overseas, the Balkan players, right? You've never seen a game in Serbia, okay? They're going, like Jokic has said before, Joko said, you know, all guys are yelling at me, no, dude, have you ever seen a game in Serbia? And you watch him. That's where you see the videos of the entire stadium bouncing up and down. And, you know, look at Jokic, his brothers, they're aggressive, right? They don't put up with anything. You know, just, you know, when we had Bobon, Bobon was a big teddy bear, but he could be aggressive, too, on the court. And so just that mindset that you just. When you're on the court, your intensity is at a different level, you know, and you see that with Jokic, you see that with Luca, you see that with other players, and. And that historically has been who they are. And you have to understand where people are from in the world, that culture, you know, the culture you grow up in makes a difference to who you are as an athlete, as a professional in any sport, and as a business person, for that matter.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Is that good for the NBA in this day and age? Is it what's needed?

[Mark Cuban]

Yes, yes. It's great, right? Because, you know, the beauty of the NBA is that we accept all cultures from around the world because, you know, they're all different. And that's what makes us unique in that we're very, very accepting, no matter where you are, where you are from. And I think it's amazing, you know, and, you know, when you see Luca, like, when I went to LA with my son, when we played there against it for the first time, and I told him I was going to boom when he was on the free throw line, so I did, and I was smart, smiling and laughing, and he was. You know, he got really intense because he's always really intense on the court. Always. You see his response to the referees. You see his responses to anybody. He is intense. And while, you know, Joker may not be as purely emotional and I don't get to see as many of his games, the guy is intense, you know, and. But he. When the game is over and he goes back home, he's more interested in harness racing, which, by the way, I grew up watching my entire life, so I don't blame him. But, you know, they go back and they live their lives. It's just different. And you've got to accept those differences in players from that part of the world. And I think that was part of our mistake.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, listen, the way you describe Luka and players from that part of the world, it sounds a lot like Mark Cuban. And I don't recall you being born in the Balkans. I mean, your intensity level. Let me just. Go ahead.

[Mark Cuban]

Let me just tell you. One grandparents from Lithuania.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay.

[Mark Cuban]

Multiple from Ukraine.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay.

[Mark Cuban]

One, you know, so I got that in my blood.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Stephen A. I got you. I got you. Absolutely. Before I get into my questions that are non sports related, I wanted to read you something. Did you see this? Rasmussen poll conducted by Pablo Torre finds out it's of 1021 likely voters who were asked who would be the best Democratic candidate for vice president for 2028. Would you check out this, please? What's your reaction to this? Right here, Mark Cuban is leading the.

[Mark Cuban]

Race for Vice president. My name first. It's M A R K. There we go.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's right. That's what they did. That wasn't us, that was them.

[Mark Cuban]

I didn't play second fiddle to nobody.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Damn right.

[Mark Cuban]

So. But you know, if I ever do decide to run, which won't happen, Stephen A. You can be my vp.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No. If you ain't playing second fiddle, what would make you think I want to play second fiddle?

[Mark Cuban]

I'm not doing that because that's who you, bro. That's who you are.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm second fiddle?

[Mark Cuban]

That's what you're telling me? Yeah, go. Nevermind.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Listen, at least Chief of Staff or Secretary of State or something. Not the Vice President, man. Not the vice President. But. But let me ask you this. You know, you've been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, but revealed on the all in podcast that he reached out to you in 2024 and offered you a position in his administration. First of all, in what capacity was that? And did you ever consider it?

[Mark Cuban]

No, he didn't offer me a position ever. So that never happened. But back in his first administration, I went and talked to him and talked to others about helping with health care. And I've actually talked to people in the administration now bringing up just basic things about health care and pharmacy pricing because of our success with costplusdrugs.com and so look, I'm all about Team USA. Whatever I can do to help this country, I'm going to do it. You know, it's, you know, it's like sports. I played rugby forever. You beat the hell out of each other during the game. After the game, you have a beer. This is, you know, my mind the same way, you know, I'm more. If I can help cut the cost of health care in the United States of America, doesn't matter who the president is, whether I like him or dislike him, I'm going to do what I can.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How do you feel about what he's been doing so far? Not just in the first 70 to 73 days, but specifically with this whole tariff war. He's created. What are your thoughts?

[Mark Cuban]

Yeah, I think that's a problem. I think he and Elon aren't aligned in their thinking. I think Elon's first goal is to reduce the deficit. And one path to reduce the deficit is by the economy declining and contracting. The idea is that if the economy contracts, then you have to reduce interest rates in order to, you know, get it fired back up again. And by enter by reducing interest rates, since that's one of the biggest components of the national debt, then you push down the national debt. The problem is you can't reduce interest rates. And while you're increasing tariffs, because tariffs, particularly to the extent that they've been implemented here this week, are very, very inflationary. So you create this catch 22 and. And then on top of that, with all the Doge cuts, which I think are gonna have a disproportionate impact on small towns and cities in the United States of America, then all these things happening at once, and that's really bad for the economy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That doesn't sound like America first to me. That doesn't sound like it makes a lot of sense, what they're doing right now. And I had somebody write this to me. They said, his formula is screwed. First it was an election tool, talking about the tariffs. First it was an election tool, then it was a negotiating tool. Now it's here to stay. He's all over the place. This is what people are saying about him as it pertains to tariffs. Do you find yourself thinking in that regard?

[Mark Cuban]

Yeah, what I think is they're very dogmatic. You know, Elon is very dogmatic. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. And Trump is very dogmatic. Tariffs, you know, are a beautiful word. And we're going to have tariffs. They don't go together at all. Something's got to give, and right now it's the stock market.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And I'm looking at it from this standpoint. The thing that really struck me, Mark, is that the Republicans, this is a party that religiously preaches about the importance of lowering taxes. How are you going to sit up there and raise and create a tariff war and in the same breath, lower taxes? It seems to be antithetical to anything that they've been preaching about for decades. I don't find their message to be consistent at all in that regard to that.

[Mark Cuban]

Oh, no, no. I mean, look, the parties are not as important as they used to be, and the Republican Party is the Trump family business now. And, you know, maybe that's good in some respects, but that it also means that everybody's just going to go along. Everybody in that party is going to go along with whatever Donald Trump says. And if he says tariffs are good, everybody's out there saying tariffs are good. Howard Lucknick, Donald Trump has been wanting terrorists for 30 years. He's the smartest guy I know. Let's, you know, tariffs are going to be amazing until they aren't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Not only that, it's increasing taxes on small businesses as well. Oh, yeah. I mean, this is. I mean, this is. This is the bread and butter of the American economy. And it's increasing taxes on small businesses and on regular, average, everyday American citizens, which they swear they're 33 million.

[Mark Cuban]

There are 33 million companies in this country. There are only 21,000 that have 500 or more employees. The other 32 point whatever million. They don't have the money to absorb tariffs. They can't just raise prices. They are going to get hurt. And so that's a real problem that I don't think they've thunk through.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why is it tell us and remind us why you were so supportive of Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party, considering how chaotic things looked. And we ultimately learned that that side.

[Mark Cuban]

Of the aisle was because she wasn't Donald Trump.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Simple as plain. Just that simple. If it were anybody else other than Donald Trump, let's say, for example, it was Nikki Haley. Let's say, for example, it was Ron DeSantis or Chris Christie, even of a Vec Ramaswamy or somebody. Are you saying that you may have thought differently?

[Mark Cuban]

I voted for Nikki Haley in the Texas primary.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got you. So you would have voted for her for presidency if she had won a Republican nomination.

[Mark Cuban]

There was a lot more to learn. Right. You can't just, you know, jump based up what was happening to the point of the primaries. I didn't agree with everything she said, but I certainly would have considered it. And look, I like Tom. I don't want to throw her under the bus. She's smarter than people give her credit for. But I think she was really held back by her team. They would not let her do just basic things that would have made a lot of difference.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Mark, are you a registered Republican?

[Mark Cuban]

No, I'm independent.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, so you. So am I. I just want to make sure I check that, you know, I asked that question because as I look, I've been taking a lot of heat because I've been pointing the finger at the Democratic Party. I'm like, I ain't got to apologize for a damn thing. I Voted for them. What the hell am I doing? I voted for them, you know, and I was rooting for them, but I was so disgusted because I felt that they got caught up in identity politics, cancer culture and all of that stuff and wasn't talking about everything. Talk about that for a second.

[Mark Cuban]

So, I mean, what did Donald Trump do that was really smart and he just drove home, right? He told every white guy, not just white guys, you know, guys who worked in big companies, that DEI was the reason why you weren't getting the job or why you weren't getting promoted. And he told people of color that, you know, or not just people, people who were in lower paying jobs, the reason why you weren't getting paid more is because immigrants were coming here illegally and taking your jobs. And he wasn't wrong to a certain extent. You know, the Democrats were so, you know, about identity politics and, you know, you know, we have to help all these underprivileged people. Well, it's, we all want to help people who are disadvantaged, whether they're trans, whether they're black, whether they're white, whether they're poor, you know, whoever. We want to help those people. But you don't have to make it that you do what you do rather than just talk about it, right? And by just pushing all these agendas to push dei, and I'm a fan of dei, I think it really turned off a lot of people who felt like they were being diminished. And then there were, you know, particularly in universities, the, the way they implemented DEI and spend tens of millions of dollars instead of just helping people that need help. Okay, Stephen, you need help. Let me find a way to help you. That's what we're going to do. It was, let's put together these programs, let's spend all this money, let's tell people that they are racist when they're not racist, right? There are plenty of racists. We don't need to call people who aren't racist racist. And so, you know, doing things like that, you know, the whole sports transports issue, you know, it's like the old Willie Horton thing. You know, my attitude is if there's a trans athlete, no matter what side you let the opponent, whether it's an individual sport or a team sport, you let them decide if they wanted to compete against them or not, if they feel they can win, if they feel it's not fair, it's, it's up to them. But to make it just a national issue so that if you weren't supporting the fewer than 10 trans athletes in the NCAA, then, you know, you weren't a good person. I just. People aren't ready for that yet, and you've got to meet people where they are. We've gotten. We've taken this country so far in race, relationships, racers, and attitudes towards lgbtq. You know, it takes time. You can't just force it down people's throat. And instead of trying to get it where the people who are being disadvantaged and being discriminated against are helped, they wanted to make it a campaign issue, focus on helping the people, not using them to campaign.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How does it make any sense to you? Let's say, for example, let's compartmentalize and take the trans athlete issue. We're talking about folks that make up less than 1% of the population, and they made it a big deal during their campaign. What kind of thinking do you connect that to for the Democratic Party to take that kind of approach where there were vast swaths of the American electorate that they were ignoring in favor of a considerably smaller swath? How do you explain that?

[Mark Cuban]

You know, I get wanting to stand up for people who are being discriminated against.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Absolutely.

[Mark Cuban]

I get wanting to stand up for people who are in pain, who are. Who can't get jobs because of how they look or how they sound or where they're from or what's happened to them. You know, the choices they've made and how they're identified help them. But you've got to look at the goal. How do you help them is the goal, not how do you make the point to, you know, the rest of America that they're discriminatory and we're not. That there's no value in trying to prove someone else discriminates and you don't. Right. The value comes in focusing that energy on actually helping the people, not trying to use them to sell something.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Last question on this subject. I want to see if you agree or disagree with me on this. I'm looking at the Democratic Party, and I think there's a lot of spectacular local talent. I like Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania. I really, really like Westmoreland more. I look at them and I say, yes, I like them the way they're looking at politics. They might as well stay in their own state. I don't see a national voice for the Democratic Party. So I'm of the mindset that as bad as this situation seems to be with tariffs and how it may potentially wreck our economy, if you're listening to a lot of centrists and those on the left. My other attitude is the best way to combat all of that is for the Dems to win the midterm elections. And the best way for them to do that is by letting Donald Trump do what he wants to do so he can mess up. And that way you can slide up in there and recover from the disastrous, disastrous stuff that happened this past election. To that you say, what?

[Mark Cuban]

So I think the Democrats locally have to do things right. You're gonna get Bernie, you're gonna get AOC going out and going on their tour and get people amped up, and that's fine, right? But the reality is, let's look at Doge, right? The cuts that Doge is making to jobs, firing all those people, closing offices, canceling contracts to universities, through the nih, through other organizations, other agencies, that has a disproportional impact on small town America. So I read something that in Iowa City, Iowa, that just through the NIH, there were $79 million in grants that look like they'll be canceled. That's very impactful in that district. And apparently the woman who won, Republican, who won, only won by 800 votes. You've got to go where you can help those people who are being disadvantaged by all these Doge cuts. You go to Parkersburg, West Virginia, where there's a Treasury office that has 2,000 people. I don't know how many people are going to get fired. But first, under 25 already have. When you fire 125 people in a town that only has 29,000 total, probably 15,000 working, and there's potential for another 1875 to be cut and offices to be closed, the Democrats need to be going there and talking to the mayors, talking to the tax assessor, talking to the people in the county and saying, look, this is all going to fall on you. Everything's going to roll downhill and hit your budget and you're going to have to cut all these services. Let us work with you to come up with solutions so that you see the Democrats as the solution rather than the Republicans that are creating this problem. But if you just say democrats bad, Trump bad, you know, every time you bring up Donald Trump in a small town, it's a trigger word one way or the other. There's just no point to talk about him. What you got to do is go in there and help the people that need help. And that's the theme you'll hear me talking about all the time. No matter what the topic, when these decisions like tariffs and Doge are made, there are People who are being disadvantaged. There are people who are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their companies, their towns are not going to be able to offer the same services. The COVID money that is using for. That's now being used for a mental health clinic or an opioid clinic. Those. Those are going to get cut. Who is going to come in there and help them resolve those issues that. That those cuts have created? That's what the Democrats need to do. They need to go in there and talk to those people, hold the town halls, listen to them, and rather than always having a Democrat standing behind a lectern lecturing, let those people who are facing these challenges talk for them. Because if you hear somebody from Parkersburg, West Virginia, if you hear a cattle farmer from Nebraska, if you hear somebody at the University of Iowa who's studying the cure for cancer, whatever it may be, if you hear somebody in West Virginia that used to work for the agency that made sure that there was safety in the coal mines, and you talk to the coal miners who now are scared to go and do their job, put aside whether the. The environment, they're just terrified, you know, that there's not going to be safety standards. Talk to those people and let them do the talking for you. That is how you were going to get momentum. If you're the Democrats, mark, you launched.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Cost plus drugs in January 2022 to cut the middleman out of getting prescription drugs into the hands of consumers. And that's helped millions. How will the new tariffs affect that business?

[Mark Cuban]

Right now they're not. But what we'll do is if there's a 10%, 20% tariff, we'll add that onto the cost. So right now, the way cost plus drugs works, you go to costplusdrugs.com you put in the name of the medication. If we carry it and we carry about 2500 SKUs, it'll come up and we'll show you our actual cost, and then we'll show you our markup, which is only 15%. And because we only mark it up 15%, we're almost always cheaper. If there's a tariff, we'll show you what the actual tariff is. We'll be completely transparent and we'll show you what it is. And hopefully, since it's, you know, some percentage of a lower amount will actually end up being even cheaper than the alternatives.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Are you gonna run for president?

[Mark Cuban]

No.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do you believe. You don't think so? Do you believe that you could beat any Democratic candidate out there?

[Mark Cuban]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So why wouldn't you run when you have the heart, the intelligence to make a difference, and obviously deep pockets, because.

[Mark Cuban]

I think I can really change healthcare and fix healthcare, and I'd rather be on that mission. And when I'm 95 years old and I'm on my deathbed and I'm thinking about life, I'd rather think about those minutes I spent with my kids and the time I was able to spend with. Spend with them at this age, rather than running around on a campaign trail or even being in the White House.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's your chances of fixing health care if this man is still in office?

[Mark Cuban]

I think, you know, he actually helps to a certain extent.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay. How?

[Mark Cuban]

Because I think the people he's putting in there, they need help. Right. They know what they don't know, fortunately. And so the people that I've talked to have said, look, the door is wide open to come in and help us figure these things out, to show it, to demonstrate to us why the pharmacy benefit managers are problems and why they're increasing the cost of medications while the insurance company, the biggest insurance companies, are increasing the cost of health care. We're ready to listen. The people that he's appointed have said, or through their intermediaries have said, we're ready to listen. We think you can help. I'm sending them data, so I think there's a path there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And who are these people that he appointed that you're alluding to? RFK Jr. Who? Him? Anybody else?

[Mark Cuban]

I haven't talked to those guys, but I talked to people who work for him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got. You let me transition back to sports before I let you get on out of here, because recently you were on the all the Smoke podcast with my boys, you know, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. You had some great things to say about star player Kyrie Irving and what he means to you and what he means to the game. He and I have had our differences in the past, but I know he's a good brother. And I've obviously, even when we were butting heads, I religiously said, that's just he and I butting heads over something. I respect the hell out of that guy, and I know what a spectacular player he is, and he's a good dude. Your thoughts about Kyrie Irving?

[Mark Cuban]

Love him to death, man. He has just got a heart of gold. And. And some. You know, you could say that his biggest problem is he's, you know, his heart is too big. But I love him, I care for him. I just want nothing but the best for him and his family. And oh, by the way, I don't have mine right now, but those Kyries, I just got some of the newest ones, they're fire going. Okay, so go out and try those two.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How's he doing? How's he doing mentally and otherwise since his surgery?

[Mark Cuban]

I mean, he sees it as just another challenge that he's got to fight through. You know, you, if you saw that, you know, you're showing the replay here. If you saw him at the three free throw line when he, you know, mouths the words, thank you, God. Yeah, that's how Kyrie approaches life where he's like, this is what I've been given. I've been giving these, these amazing talents, but I'm also going to be giving challenges. And this is one more. And Kyrie has just got that focus and that intensity in a lot of respects. He's like Dirk in that respect where when Dirk got hurt or something happened, Dirk found a way to fight through and Kyrie's the same way.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You're backing a startup taken on TikTok, it's called Skylight. Talk about that.

[Mark Cuban]

Yeah, I mean, there's a couple actually that I'm working with that, you know, who knows what happens with TikTok. But I'm, I'm big on a platform called, oh my God, not my. I want to call it MySpace. Blue Sky. So let me do. So I'm really big on a platform called Blue sky. And Blue sky is a moderated social media platform and working with Skylight that allows them to add TikTok like videos. And the beautiful part of it, it's distributed so there's no one person that can control it. It's moderated so you can have normal conversations. There's not people coming out with hate and anti semitic things. You know, those people get booted off. So I can have real social media like conversations on Blue sky and so you can follow me there at M. Cuban and you can see all these things.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And what's this about some change maker AI contest you've got going on?

[Mark Cuban]

Oh, that's with the forward party. And so AI like you, AI is just the coolest I've ever seen in technology. It is just unreal. Like I've been through a lot of technological revolutions going way back, but there's nothing like artificial intelligence and you know, doing things like creating videos through text prompts. You could say, you know, show, create a video with Mark and Stephen a talking about sports in front of, you know, this background and just hit enter and it'll in two minutes. It'll crank something out that you can start from. So, you know, prompt text to video, you know, talking to chat, GPT, you know, or anthropic or all the different competitors. Gemini, here's one for you, Stephen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay.

[Mark Cuban]

Have you heard of Notebook lm? I have. Have you tried that?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I have not. I have not tried it, but I just heard about it the other day. I didn't know anything about it till the other day.

[Mark Cuban]

So this stuff is crazy, right? So take a transcript of this, show, our interview, and go to Google Notebook LM Studio and put it in there and create a podcast out of it. There'll be two people, a man and a woman, that will just start talking about. It'll be like, so Stephen A. Has something interesting to say about politics. What do you. It's just insane. And why that's important is kids today, Gen Z and younger don't like to read. When we grew up, reading was. It was fundamental, right? It was critically important to learning and being curious. Now people want to listen to podcasts. They want to, you know, watch and listen on YouTube. Being able to take things that are text and books and written and turning them into a podcast makes it easier to connect to your Gen Z employees, Gen Z students, whatever it may be. And I think just those types of tools from AI, they're going to change the world.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Don't you worry at all about the negative impact it can have on a job market? These computers, this new technology, it's going to cost a lot of American citizens, a lot of people throughout the world, jobs. I'm talking about human beings. I mean, is it that. Isn't that the truth?

[Mark Cuban]

Yes and no. There's going to be disruption during the transition times. I think overall it'll create a lot more jobs because it's such. It's a tool that can allow people to be more creative, to be smarter. You know, it's like having your own mentor available to you all the time. You know, if you don't have an advanced education, it can act as a professor that can answer your questions. So I think it'll make people more capable, competent, and more employable. But in the interim, it's just like the old days, right? You went from records to CDs and cassettes to DVDs to digital. They're gone and people lost their jobs. And so it's unfortunate and you have to try to come up with programs that help them. But the reality is it's. It's not going to stop. There's nothing you can do to stop it globally and from a business perspective, there's going to be two types of companies, those who are great at AI and everybody else. And the better part about it, Stephen, is that there's going to be 12 year old kids, 14 year old kids that use AI to create billion dollar companies because they put in the time to understand where the opportunities are and the opportunities that AI creates and they go to work with them. If I was 16 and I was looking to start a company, I would be like the smartest dude on AI in my neighborhood and go to the small, medium sized businesses and show them how to use it. Or I would start my own business built around AI because it's going to be unstoppable.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Last question for you. Back to basketball. If I said your 27% stake in the Dallas Mavericks is on the line with the right answer to this question, who's meeting in the NBA Finals and who's going to win it all?

[Mark Cuban]

What you telling me the Dallas Mavericks are going to shock the world? What?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Stop that nonsense, man. Come on, man. I just asked you.

[Mark Cuban]

You're 27 MF, NFL to the core. You forget I was the season ticket owner in the 90s when if we won 11 games, that was a good season. Right? And so I am hardcore mavs. You can never get me off of that. Ever.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Love you, man. It's good to see you, man. Thank you for being on the show, buddy. I'll talk to you soon. All right? Always.

[Mark Cuban]

Stephen A.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Thank you. One and only Mark Cuban right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. That man's special. That man special. I give that to him. The Mavericks, they ain't gonna make the plan.

[Mark Cuban]

They might not.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We'll talk about that later.

[Laura Carenti]

What's up? I'm Laura, host of the podcast Courtside with Laura Carenti. A masterclass case study of the business of women's sports. I'll be chatting with leaders like tennis icon Alana Kloss.

[Mark Cuban]

I don't do what I do only for women. I do it for everyone.

[Laura Carenti]

And I want the whole market and innovators like Jenny Nguyen. I would say 50% of the people that come visit the sports Bra aren't sports fans. They come to be in community. They come to be part of this culture. Courtside with Laura Carrenti is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Courtside with Laura carenti on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of I Heart Women's sports. Hey y'all, it's your girl, Cheekies. And I'm back with a brand new season of your favorite podcast, Cheekies and Chill. I'll be sharing even more personal stories with you guys, and as always, you'll get my exclusive take on topics like love, personal growth, health, family ties, and more. And don't forget, I'll also be dishing out my best advice to you on episodes of Dear Cheekies. It's going to be an exciting year, and I hope that you can join me listen to Cheekies and chill season four on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.