During his recent appearance on “The Steam Room” podcast, billionaire Mark Cuban, who is also a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, fueled rumors regarding his potential political aspirations. He mentioned the possibility of running for president with NBA legend Charles Barkley as his running mate.
Cuban revealed that he considered a run in 2020 but ultimately decided against it after his family expressed their reluctance to endure the harshness of political life.
Cuban said, “I did a little bit, four years ago in 2020, and I even talked to a pollster.”
Mark Cuban says he’d win White House with Charles Barkley as VP: ‘No question about it’ https://t.co/kfyMdf8nye pic.twitter.com/o5eT1mU34P
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Cuban added, “Then I talked to my family; we took a family vote, and they said, ‘Hell no. We don’t want to go through that.’ My kids are like, ‘We don’t want to. No, we just don’t want to deal with it.’ And it’s even—it’s gotten meaner, you know. It’s not gotten easier; it’s gotten meaner. And, you know, just the hate on social media—and if your kids live on social media, why would I put them through that?”
While he and Barkley joked about their potential success as a ticket, Cuban’s political involvement has included supporting Vice President Kamala Harris during her 2024 campaign, although he clarified he had not financially contributed to her efforts.
Barkley asked, “Would your feeling on a run for office change if it were, say, a ticket of you and the Chuckster?”
Barkley said, “We’d win.”
Cuban stated, “Yes, absolutely. We definitely would win. Running away. No question about it.”
Cuban added, “I haven’t given her a penny.”
Cuban concluded, “People think, ‘Oh, you’re giving her a lot of money.’ No, I haven’t given a penny.”