Mark Cuban still eats hot dogs from 7-Eleven. That’s not the only surprising spending habit the billionaire owner of basketball’s Dallas Mavericks revealed in an interview with The Associated Press.
The 52-year-old entrepreneur is better known for selling his Internet streaming startup, , to Yahoo for $6 billion in 1999.
He’s also the owner of the Landmark Theater chain and HDNet, a TV network programmed exclusively in high definition. And when he’s not courtside at NBA games, he can be seen as a panelist on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” in which entrepreneurs compete for venture capital to start a business.
Cuban’s success affords him three private jets and a 24,000-square-foot mansion in Dallas, where he lives with his wife and three young children. But it turns out he’s also holding onto some habits from his working-class upbringing in Pittsburgh. Some lesser-known tidbits Cuban shared in an e-mail interview:
STILL A SCRIMPER
Don’t be surprised to see Cuban shopping at a local Target or Walmart in Dallas. Sneak a peek in his basket, and you might spot a generic bottle of aspirin. He says he has no problem buying house brands.
BUSINESS BEGINNINGS
The entrepreneurial spirit developed early. At age 12, Cuban says, he sold garbage bags door to door to buy a pricey pair of basketball sneakers.
PAIN AT THE PUMP
It’s not above him to go out of his way to find cheaper gas. Paying $100 to fill up his tank rankles him. “I don’t care how much money you have — that turns your stomach.”
JOINING THE WORKFORCE
At 16, Cuban got his first real job as a shipping clerk at a discount store in Pittsburgh. He says he learned that there’s fun to be had in every job.
“Even if it’s carrying case after case of Listerine, day after day, and setting them up on shelves.”
DOWN TIME
Cuban likes to fall asleep watching “Law & Order.” He’s also known to grab the kids to watch the cartoons “Scooby Doo” or “Johnny Quest.”
CHEAP EATS
His favorite cheap meal? A tuna fish sandwich or hot dog from 7-Eleven.
PARENTING
Cuban and his wife, Tiffany, don’t set strict limits on their three young children. “But they still are spoiled beyond what I would like.”
REGRETS
Even billionaires make mistakes. Cuban says he regrets buying a pulse-monitoring gadget for exercise; he has yet to use it.
