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"I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen" - When Mark Cuban ripped the NBA's director of officiating
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- "I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen" - When Mark Cuban ripped the NBA's director of officiating
Savvy businessman Mark Cuban established a reputation as a hands-on, vocal owner while still overseeing the operations of the Dallas Mavericks . Among the areas in which he frequently voiced his opinion was officiating.
Cuban, who made a name in business as a tech entrepreneur, bought a majority stake – 90 percent – in 2000 in the then-struggling Mavericks for $285 million. He did not waste time trying to turn things around for the team, investing in players and facilities and improving their operations to make Dallas an attractive franchise to play for.
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To protect his investment, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native made sure that he was on top of things, not one to shy from challenging game officiating and league policies if he saw something to argue against.
One instance came in 2002 after a controversial loss to the Atlanta Hawks . Cuban raised a howl over what he believed was poor officiating and took aim at the NBA's director of officiating then.
"Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen. His interest is not in the integrity of the game or improving the officiating," Cuban strongly claimed .
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Getting the ire of Dairy Queen
The Mavericks owner was assessed a hefty $500,000 fine by the league for his comments.
Apart from being fined, Cuban's comments earned him the ire of Dairy Queen, which asserted that running a branch of the fast-food chain is harder than it looks and should not be taken lightly. The DQ management then challenged Cuban to manage a store for one day and to see it for himself.
The Mavs owner accepted the challenge and worked at a DQ store in Coppell, Texas, in January 2002. Cuban took his "managing" task seriously and performed various duties, including making the store's famous Blizzards.
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His presence at the DQ store proved to be a hit, with customers coming in droves to see Cuban take on the challenge and interact with him.
After completing his task, Cuban shared that he became even more convinced that NBA referees and officials needed to sharpen their skills to be more effective in their work.
"Part of the point I was trying to make with the NBA is that you have to understand your customers and learn to get better as a business," Cuban shared .
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Mavericks success
Cuban remained passionately involved in the Mavericks' affairs and vocal after the DQ episode, earning fines along the way. But it turned out to be the kind of leadership that Dallas needed to get back to league respectability.
Since he took over ownership, the Mavericks have made 11 straight playoff appearances, reaching the NBA Finals twice and winning their first-ever NBA title in 2011, led by superstar forward Dirk Nowitzki .
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In 2023, though, Cuban decided to sell his majority stake in the Mavericks to the Adelson family, which controls the Las Vegas Sands Corp., for $3.5 billion.
While still a minority owner, Cuban's role has been reduced in the day-to-day operations, deferring to the new owners of the team. But since the sale of his stake, the team has made questionable moves, including the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers , which eventually led to the firing of general manager and president of basketball operations, Nico Harrison .
The Mavericks are currently in a rebuild mode behind young star Cooper Flagg , and maybe team officials can show the same passion and commitment that Cuban had to get back to where they once were.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
