Developing story: Some details below haven't been independently confirmed. We'll update as new reporting comes in.
It was January 4, 2000, in Dallas when Mark Cuban purchased a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr.[3]

January 2000 — Taking Control of the Mavericks

Cuban completed the deal after negotiations that pulled him into professional sports ownership. He took over operations of the team, which played home games at Reunion Arena before moving to the American Airlines Center later that year. Cuban attended games, sat courtside, and shaped team decisions from player hires to arena upgrades. Over the next two decades, he built the franchise into a contender, with playoff runs and a 2011 NBA championship under coach Rick Carlisle.

2012 — Joining Shark Tank

Cuban became a main investor on the ABC reality series Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs pitched business ideas to a panel of investors.[2] He appeared in episodes that aired from 2012 through the end of the 2024-2025 season, offering deals or passing on ventures in front of cameras. The role kept him in the public eye, blending his business acumen with television exposure. Cuban invested in companies ranging from fitness tech to food products, often pushing back on valuations during tense negotiations.

January 2022 — Launching Cost Plus Drugs

Cuban and Alex Oshmyansky started the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company after Oshmyansky, a radiologist, sent Cuban an email about high drug prices.[2] The online pharmacy offered generic drugs at the manufacturers' price plus a 15% markup, plus a $3 or $5 dispensing fee, to remove pharmacy middlemen and pharmacy benefit managers.[4] Cuban funded the operation, which shipped medications directly to customers and operated its own pharmacy benefits manager to deal directly with drug makers.[4] The company targeted common prescriptions like those for diabetes and cholesterol, listing prices online for transparency.

October 2024 — Expanding Beyond Generics

Cuban spoke about the company's growth in an interview, noting it carried more than generics. "They’re not all generics. We’re up to 74 brand-name drugs, and that’s growing by the day."[9] He explained how the model exposed costs that traditional pharmacies hid. "If you walk into a big chain and you need generic Gleevec, you’re not gonna be charged $2,000. If you were in a state that uses a bigger PBM and they’re charging you for specialty generics, they won’t be able to hide the actual cost."[9] Cuban pointed to the public price list as a tool for better deals. "The good news is, because we do publish our price list, everybody, at least for the 2,500 [drugs] we carry and growing, everybody gets to see what the true price actually is and what our costs are for that matter. And so everybody’s in a better position to negotiate."[9] By then, Cost Plus Drugs served thousands of customers, with orders processed through a Texas-based warehouse.

Early 2025 — Partnerships and Shifts

Cuban announced deals for Cost Plus Drugs with TrumpRx, a pharmacy service tied to former President Donald Trump's circle, and with Humana, a major health insurer.[3] The partnerships aimed to bring the cost-plus model to larger groups, including employer plans and Medicare patients. Around the same time, Cuban stepped away from Shark Tank after 13 seasons, ending his run as a regular panelist.[2] He also sold his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, a move that handed control to a new ownership group while he retained minority interests.

April 17, 2025 — Focusing on Health Care Disruption

In Dallas, Cuban sat for a discussion on his next phase after leaving the Mavericks and Shark Tank.[5] He described Cost Plus Drugs as his main effort to upend American health care, targeting the pharmacy benefit managers that set drug prices for insurers and patients. Cuban outlined plans to expand the company's reach, including more negotiations with drug manufacturers and pushes into specialty medications. The talk came weeks after the Mavericks' sale closed, freeing him to concentrate on the pharmacy venture full time.

September 9, 2025 — Podcast on Drug Savings

Cuban joined a podcast to break down Cost Plus Drugs' operations.[2] He compared prices to Medicare Part D co-pays, showing cases where patients paid less through his service—sometimes $10 for drugs that cost $50 or more under government plans. Cuban walked through the company's direct-to-consumer model, which bypassed traditional chains and insurers. He fielded questions on scaling up, with the business then handling prescriptions in all 50 states.

March 2026 — Looking Back on the Mavericks Sale

On the Intersections podcast, Cuban reflected on selling his controlling interest in the Dallas Mavericks.[3] He said he regretted the buyer more than the transaction itself, pointing to tensions over how the new owners handled team matters. Cuban noted the sale brought him financial gains but pulled him away from daily involvement in the franchise he had run for 25 years. The comments came as Cost Plus Drugs reported steady growth, with Cuban doubling down on health care as his primary focus.

The podcast episode aired amid reports of the Mavericks' uneven performance post-sale, with Cuban occasionally commenting from afar on roster moves. Cost Plus Drugs, meanwhile, added more brand-name options and explored ties with additional insurers. Whether Cuban's pharmacy push reshapes drug pricing nationwide remains in play, as federal reviews of pharmacy benefit managers continue into 2027.

DateEvent
2000-01-04Mark Cuban purchased a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr.[3]
2022-01Mark Cuban and partner Alex Oshmyansky launched the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, an online pharmacy offering generic drugs at manufacturers' price plus a 15% markup to cut out middlemen.[1]
2025Mark Cuban announced partnerships for Cost Plus Drugs with TrumpRx and Humana.[3]
2025-04-17Mark Cuban discussed his focus on disrupting American health care through Cost Plus Drugs after stepping away from Shark Tank and selling his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks.[5]
2025-09-09Mark Cuban appeared on a podcast discussing Cost Plus Drugs, including how it offers cheaper options than Medicare Part D co-pays for some patients.[2]
2026-03Mark Cuban expressed regret over selling his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, stating on the Intersections podcast that he regretted who he sold to despite not regretting the sale itself.[3]

What we couldn't confirm

Reports surfaced that the Dallas Mavericks were morphing into a Cost Plus Drugs empire under Cuban's influence, but details on any direct integration between the team and the pharmacy—such as sponsorships, facility uses or joint ventures—did not check out.

Sources

  1. [1] How Mark Cuban Built a $6B Empire | MYCPE ONE INSIGHTS — my-cpe.com
  2. [2] Reported Mark Cuban - Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
  3. [3] Mark Cuban on the NBA, Cost Plus Drugs, and How to Fix Politics — youtube.com
  4. [4] Innovators Worth Watching: Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company — christenseninstitute.org
  5. [5] Mark Cuban's key takeaways from his time with the Mavericks and ... — youtube.com
  6. [6] The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company — heartofhealthcarepodcast.com
  7. [7] Verified Mark Cuban Explains His Battle Against Pharmacy Benefit Managers — ldi.upenn.edu
  8. [8] What to know about Mark Cuban's quest to fix health care - Dallas ... — bizjournals.com
  9. [9] Q&A transcript: Mark Cuban explains his beef with traditional PBMs — statnews.com
  10. [10] "I just wanna f*ck up healthcare." - Hospitalogy — hospitalogy.com