Through his barking at officials from courtside, the persona he's cultivated on reality television shows like "The Contender" and "Shark Tank," and his penchant for freely and forcefully speaking his mind on just about every topic under the sun, billionaire Mark Cuban has developed a reputation as something of a brash, sharp sort over the years. But even his longtime rivals will tell you that the Dallas Mavericks owner also has a soft side and a big heart that can lend itself to even bigger gestures, such as the remarkable bit of generosity that seems to have made all the difference for a Watauga, Texas, woman named Monica Wilkinson.

From Janet St. James of Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate WFAA-TV:

Monica and her fiance Leroy had planned since 2009 to marry and become parents together. But a series of miscarriages, a late-term still-born daughter, and financial struggles canceled the wedding several times.

Then in January came a devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 ovarian cancer that has spread. Monica underwent emergency surgery and is in the process of 18 rounds of chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is next.

"It just was seeming like every dream we had was just completely out of reach for everything," admits Monica.

Bills from cancer treatment began piling up. After reaching out to charity organizations for financial assistance to make their wedding happen, Monica recently got an unexpected call out of the blue.

"I got a call from his assistant," recalls Monica. "And she said Mark Cuban was going to help pay for our wedding. And I was completely floored. I thought it was a joke."

It was no joke.

As Wilkinson tells it, the April wedding for which Cuban footed the bill was "a perfect day" on which, even after all the hardship with which she has dealt over the years, she "felt like a princess." It is difficult to imagine a kinder, more open-hearted gift for one person to give another.

Cuban's commitment to charitable giving isn't anything new, of course. He has long made donations to charities of his choice matching the fines levied against him by the NBA, which have totaled nearly $2 million over the past 14-plus years. His recent random acts of kindness didn't stop with the Wilkinsons, either; the Mavericks owner recently donated $10,000 to help the volunteer fire department of Crandall, Texas, dig out of financial trouble. Big up yourself, Cubes. That's very good stuff.

Hat-tip to Reddit.

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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