Dealing with Tanking in the NBA: Keep an eye on Mark Cuban's outburst

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban, former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has publicly expressed support for tanking and has urged the NBA to "embrace it" as part of a strategy to enhance the fan experience.

In several messages posted on February 17, 2026, Cuban argued that the league has been wrong in thinking that fans want their teams to compete every night with real chances of winning.

"Few can remember the score of the last game they attended. They don't remember the dunks or the shots. What they remember is who they were with: their family, friends, or a date. That's what makes the experience special," he explained.

Criticisms of recent sanctions

Cuban's remarks come after the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for sitting healthy players in recent games. The league stated that it will not tolerate moves that compromise the integrity of the competition.

Cuban questioned that stance and criticized the NBA for penalizing teams that do not hide their intentions.

"The worst thing the NBA does is that if you don't lie to your fans about what you're doing, even if it's obvious to them, they fine you. And they threaten to take draft picks away," he wrote.

Cuban cited the process that led the Mavericks to select Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft as an example. Dallas ended the 2017 season with a record of 24-58, which improved its draft position and subsequently allowed them to acquire the Slovenian guard, who was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025.

"We didn't tank often. Only a few times in 23 years, but when we did, our fans appreciated it. It allowed us to improve, move up in positions to get Luka, and strengthen the team," he stated. The franchise was fined $600,000 for that process, a penalty he deemed "a joke."

The fan experience and ticket prices

According to Cuban, the league's focus should be on the overall fan experience and not solely on combating tanking.

"When I entered the NBA, they thought they were in the basketball business. They're not. They're in the business of creating experiences for the fans," he pointed out.

He also highlighted ticket prices as a more urgent issue.

"Do you know who cares less about tanking? A father who can't afford to take his three kids to a game and buy them their favorite player's jersey. The NBA should be more concerned about excluding fans with prices than about tanking," he wrote.

Hope versus results

Cuban argued that fans are aware that only one team can win the title each season. What they desire, according to him, is hope.

"Fans know that their team can't win every game. They know that only one can win the title. What they want is hope: hope that the team improves, competes for the playoffs, and maybe for a championship."

During the All-Star Weekend, Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged that tanking has been "worse this year than in recent seasons" and assured that he is considering "all possible solutions," including removing draft picks, to curb the trend.

Cuban's statements reopen the debate about sports strategy, transparency, and the NBA's business model at a time when the league seeks to protect competitiveness without losing sight of its relationship with fans.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, A vueltas con el Tanking en la NBA: ojo al rajadón de Mark Cuban