Mark Cuban openly supports NBA tanking! The primary issue is the fan viewing experience: start by addressing ticket prices.

On February 18th Beijing time, Mark Cuban openly supported NBA tanking. The ex-Mavericks owner believes the NBA should "accept tanking," primarily for the sake of the fan experience.

"Not many recall the final score of the last game they saw or the dunks and shots made. What sticks with them is the company they had—family, friends, or a date. That’s the essence of the viewing experience," Cuban explained.

Last week, the NBA fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000. The league stated that both teams recently rested healthy players and emphasized zero tolerance for any actions undermining the league’s credibility.

Cuban, who still holds shares in the Mavericks, questioned the league’s approach and called for greater transparency regarding tanking.

"The worst thing about the NBA is that even if what you do is clear to fans and you don’t lie to them, you get fined and threatened with losing draft picks," he wrote.

Cuban said it was precisely through tanking that the Mavericks secured Luka Dončić in the 2018 draft. In 2017, the season before drafting Dončić, the Mavericks finished with just 24 wins and 58 losses. Dončić was later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025.

"We rarely tank, only a few times in 23 years. But every time we did, fans understood. Tanking gave us the chance to improve the team and trade up for Dončić," he wrote.

Cuban noted that the Mavericks were subsequently fined $600,000, calling it "a complete joke."

He believes fans are the foundation of the league, and the NBA must acknowledge this by creating a better experience for them.

"When I first joined the NBA, they thought they were in the basketball business. They weren’t. They’re in the business of creating experiences for fans," he said.

According to Cuban, a good fan experience also includes affordable ticket prices."Those who care least about tanking are parents who can’t afford to take three kids to games or buy jerseys," he wrote. "Instead of worrying about tanking, the NBA should first address ticket prices that are too high for fans to afford."

Tanking can also show fans that the team is planning long-term for the next season. "Fans know the team can’t win every game and that only one team wins the championship each year. True fans care about hope—the hope that the team improves, makes the playoffs, or even wins the title," he said.

During All-Star Weekend, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver responded to the tanking issue, admitting "this year’s tanking is worse than in recent years," and said the league is considering all measures, including stripping draft picks, to stop tanking.