Making a billion dollars is hard, but figuring out how to spend it can be quite tricky too.
Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner, has never been one to shy away from bold statements or candid revelations about his wealth. In an interview, the “Shark Tank” investor offered a remarkably frank account of his first major purchases after crossing the billion-dollar threshold—decisions that reveal as much about his values and personality as they do about the psychology of sudden extreme wealth.
Cuban’s path to billionaire status came through the $5.7 billion sale of Broadcast.com to Yahoo in 1999, during the height of the dot-com boom. The company, which Cuban co-founded with Todd Wagner, pioneered internet streaming technology and became one of the most valuable acquisitions of the era. But it was what Cuban did immediately after achieving ten-figure wealth that provides fascinating insight into his priorities.
“I was worth a billion dollars,” Cuban recalled. “Let me tell you how I spent it. I told you I value time. First thing I bought: Gulfstream G-5. I go online and I’m looking up Gulfstream G-5. Email the guy and I’m like, can I do a test flight? First time I’d ever been on a private plane. Sitting there and I’m thinking, this could be my plane. So I stacked up some more and I sent him an email saying, done. $40 million.”
For Cuban, the private jet wasn’t about luxury—it was about efficiency. The entrepreneur has long preached that time is the most valuable commodity, and his first major purchase reflected that philosophy. The Gulfstream G-5, capable of flying coast-to-coast without refueling, would allow him to maximize his schedule and minimize downtime.
His second purchase was even more significant: “I paid $285 million for the Dallas Mavericks. There’s not enough stacks in the universe for what that was worth to me.” The NBA franchise acquisition in January 2000 wasn’t just a business investment—it was a childhood dream realized. Cuban had been a lifelong basketball fan, and owning the Mavericks would eventually lead to the team’s 2011 NBA championship, a moment Cuban has described as one of the highlights of his life.
The third major purchase showcased Cuban’s willingness to make quick, instinct-based decisions: “One of my partners from Micro Solutions, Martin Woodall, comes up to me and goes, there’s this amazing house that’s about to go into foreclosure, yes or no, $12.5 million. I’d never seen the house. I saw some pictures. Why not purchase it? And it was an amazing house. I’ve raised my three kids there. Still live there, but the lesson is large.”
Cuban’s spending pattern reveals a fascinating psychology of new wealth—but also a strategic mindset that has served him well throughout his career. His purchases weren’t driven by status or luxury for its own sake, but by practical considerations (time savings), passion projects (the Mavericks), and instinctive opportunities (the house). The fact that he still lives in that same $12.5 million home nearly 25 years later suggests these weren’t impulse purchases but calculated investments in his lifestyle and values. This approach to wealth—prioritizing time, following passions, and trusting instincts—has become a hallmark of Cuban’s business philosophy and continues to influence his investment decisions on “Shark Tank” and beyond.