Mark Cuban sold his majority Mavericks stake for $3.5 billion in 2023 (while retaining 27% ownership of the club). Now, his next sports ownership move is in Canada.
Cuban has joined the ownership group of the Brampton Honey Badgers, the Canadian Elite Basketball League franchise based in the Toronto suburb. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The investment reflects a straightforward read of a market that has evolved faster than most people realize. Canada’s basketball talent pool has become one of the deepest in the world, with stars such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, alongside Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins, and Dillon Brooks, among others. Canada currently has 25 players on NBA rosters, making it the most represented country in the league outside the United States for the 12th consecutive season.
Cuban has been paying attention. The CEBL, which requires each of its 10 franchises to carry at least 70 percent Canadian players, sits in the path of that talent pipeline. “Canadian basketball is probably the most underappreciated in the world,” Cuban said in a press release.. “The talent here is through the roof and getting better by the day.”
“The CEBL offers all of Canada the chance to see that amazing talent on display in exciting games that are fun and affordable for the entire family. I’m excited to be part of this team, help build the Brampton fanbase, and to bring some of the same fun we had in Dallas to the Toronto area!”
MARC CUBAN – SOURCE: CEBL
The investment is also rooted in long-standing relationships. Brampton CEO Al Whitley spent 22 years with the Mavericks organization and maintains a 25-year friendship with Cuban. It was Cuban who reportedly helped connect Whitley with the Honey Badgers in the first place. The team’s primary owner, Leonard Asper, also has prior business ties to Cuban, having previously acquired Cuban’s majority stake in HDNet Media.
“I have had the honour and privilege to know and work with Mark Cuban for the last 25 years and I say without any hesitation, he is one-of-one. This is a historic and landmark day for our franchise. Mark’s business acumen, championship pedigree, and philanthropic endeavors make this relationship one that the Brampton Honey Badgers wholeheartedly cherish and are grateful for. We roll out the red carpet and welcome Mark into our ownership group with open arms!”
Al Whitley, Honey Badgers CEO – SOURCE: CEBL
What Cuban brings to Brampton goes beyond capital. He has long argued that sports franchises are not only competing on wins and losses, but on experience, accessibility, and entertainment value. “When I got to the Mavs, everyone thought we were in the basketball business, and I was getting in trouble telling the owners that we’re really in the experience business.” Cuban said in an interview to CBC Sports. He sees the Honey Badgers’ positioning – affordable, family-oriented, accessible in a market where entertainment costs have become a real calculation for most households – as the right foundation. “It’s cheaper to go to a Honey Badgers game than it is to go to the movies or out to dinner,” he said in the interview. “That’s critical because people are looking for affordable entertainment.“
The CEBL is entering its eighth season and still establishing itself as a credible destination for domestic talent before the NBA comes calling. Cuban’s investment does not instantly elevate the CEBL into a major league. But it does signal that serious investors increasingly see Canadian basketball as an undervalued growth opportunity.
