**Viral News Snippet: “Mark Cuban Vows to Rename Dallas Mavericks ‘The Mavs’ Permanently — Starting an NFT Auction for the New Logo”**
Viral News Snippet: “Mark Cuban Vows to Rename Dallas Mavericks ‘The Mavs’ Permanently — Starting an NFT Auction for the New Logo”
Source: Unverified social media post spreading on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
The Claim: A viral post claims that billionaire and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban has decided to permanently rename the Dallas Mavericks to simply “The Mavs.” The post further alleges that Cuban is auctioning off the new team logo as a limited-edition NFT (non-fungible token) on the Ethereum blockchain, with proceeds intended to fund free public Wi-Fi in underserved Dallas neighborhoods.
Why It’s Spreading: The rumor combines Cuban’s known interest in cryptocurrency, his history with the Mavericks brand (including the 2018 “Mavs” rebrand), and his ongoing philanthropy. The post includes a fake screenshot of a supposed “Mavericks press release” with a watermark of Cuban’s personal logo.
The Reality (Fact Check):
- Status: ❌ FALSE
- What actually happened: As of the latest verified statements from the Dallas Mavericks organization and Mark Cuban’s official social media accounts, there is no plan to permanently rename the franchise. The team has used the “Mavs” nickname in marketing campaigns (e.g., “MFFL” – Mavericks Fans For Life) but the legal entity remains the Dallas Mavericks.
- No NFT Auction: Cuban is indeed a vocal crypto advocate and has launched NFTs in the past, but a search of public blockchain records and his known NFT marketplace partnerships (e.g., Polyient Games, Ethernity) shows no active “Mavs logo” NFT auction.
- The Source of the Hoax: The image originates from a parody account that specializes in deepfaked sports news. The account has since been suspended.
The Takeaway: