Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was left fuming on an episode of Shark Tank last year after two entrepreneurs trolled him with Golden State Warriors air fresheners.
The Mavericks, of course, lost the series to the Warriors 4-1 in the Western Conference Play-Off finals in a big blow to Cuban and his NBA franchise.
The billionaire was handed a sample air freshener on the taping of Shark Tank - but it had a Golden State logo much to Cuban's distaste. And the businessman automatically shut down any chance of investment following the joke leaving his fellow sharks stunned by his reaction.
"Dumbest marketing move ever, I'm out," Cuban said after being presented with a sample of the product. "Seriously, you gotta read the room. Wrong move, wrong time."
"What do you think? The one air freshener from the NBA is the team that beats us in the NBA Conference Finals," Cuban explained. "You gotta know that could backfire." Barbara Corcoran told Cuban to be the bigger man - but sports teams are where many draw the line in the sand. "Yeah I could be, but I'm not," Cuban said.
The season that followed the Shark Tank taping was nothing short of a disaster for the Mavericks who finished 11th in the Western Conference, narrowly missing out on the postseason. That was despite adding Kyrie Irving in a blockbuster mid-season trade to combine the Australian with Luka Doncic.
The Mavericks were also fined for resting key players for a fixture against the Chicago Bulls in April. The NBA fined Dallas $750,000 after concluding the franchise violated league rules with the team still in with a shot of reaching the playoffs.
Back in 2018, Mavericks owner Cuban once paid a $600,000 fine in 2018 for publicly admitting his franchise were tanking when they eventually finished 24-58. Such comments earned condemnation from the NBA commissioner.
How the Mavericks do in the 2023/24 season could be determined by some shrewd trades. Kyrie Irving has been linked with a move away from Dallas despite only just joining, with a potential trade to the Los Angeles Lakers being touted to keep LeBron James sweet following comments on a potential retirement. Anthony Davis was a name mentioned for a potential trade to the Mavericks, with the Lakers star named as someone who could help solve their problems.
