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Relive the Moment: When Former Mavs Owner Mark Cuban pulled off a Hilarious April Fool’s Prank
Mark Cuban, the former owner of the Dallas Mavericks, once orchestrated an unforgettable April Fool’s Prank. The Twist? The entire incident was a playful ruse.
Mark Cuban is one of those franchise owners whose passion for his team will bring him courtside no matter what. The self-made Billionaire and former majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks has been a dedicated fan of the Mavericks since the 90s.
At the time, the Mavericks weren’t the biggest draw and even struggled to attract fans to the Arena. Realizing this and the potential to turn around a failing franchise, Cuban purchased a majority stake in the Mavericks on January 04, 2000, for $285 million.
Cuban’s courtside presence in almost all of the Mavericks’ home games gave him the opportunity to build honest connections with team management and the coaching staff. On April 1, 2003, Cuban leveraged his excellent reputation for a good old-fashioned April Fool’s Prank.
Mark Cuban Fools The Entire Arena
Scuffling broke out during the first quarter of the Mavericks' home game against the New Orleans Hornets (now the New Orleans Pelicans). Cuban began to argue with the ref from the sidelines, as he had many times in previous games. However, this encounter turned physical in a matter of minutes when Cuban pushed the ref, and the ref retaliated in kind. 
Before anyone could anticipate, Cuban upped the ante and started wrestling the official but was quickly separated. Only when Cuban turned around and laughed seconds later did people realize they had been roped in for an April Fool's Prank.
Appearing as a guest on the Sam Alex Show, Cuban spoke in detail about his Favorite prank: "We set this whole thing up, and there were 20,000 people in the stands. And there's me looking like I'm fighting with a ref, and all I can hear out of my ears, and I'm trying not to laugh. It's a whole place freaking out."
Cuban added, "We had told the coaches and the players that it wasn't real, but one of our coaches, Del Harris, didn't get the memo and just went crazy."
Even over two decades later, Cuban’s prank lives on in the minds of NBA fans as one of the most memorable April Fool’s Pranks in league history.
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