The Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They are based in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The franchise plays its home games at the Barclays Center. The team originally began in New Jersey before relocating to Brooklyn in 2012.
Founded (in its original form) in 1967, the team has gone through several owners and locations. As of the current information, the team is owned by a holding company structure led by Chinese-Canadian businessman Joseph Tsai (often known as Joe Tsai).
Ownership Status of the Brooklyn Nets
There is no single “private owner” in the sense of one individual owning 100 % outright in a simple structure. Instead, ownership is held via a company — BSE Global — of which Joe Tsai is the primary controlling shareholder and Governor for the team in the NBA.
Major Ownership Details
| Shareholder / Entity | Ownership/Stake | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Tsai (via BSE Global) | Controlling owner and NBA Governor | Tsai completed full acquisition of the Nets (and Barclays Center) on 18 Sept 2019. |
| Other minority investors | Various % through BSE Global | For example, the family of Julia Koch acquired a ~15 % stake in BSE Global to invest in the Nets and related assets. |
Note: The remaining shares are held by other institutional or individual investors via BSE Global’s entity structure.
About The Owner Joseph Tsai
Joseph Tsai (born January 1964) is a Taiwanese-Canadian business magnate, lawyer, philanthropist and sports-team owner. He co-founded Alibaba Group, the major Chinese e-commerce and technology company, and later became its chairman.
Tsai grew up in Taiwan and later attended the prestigious Yale University in the U.S., earning a Bachelor of Arts in economics and East Asian studies, and then a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.
Before joining Alibaba, Tsai worked as a lawyer at the firm Sullivan & Cromwell in New York and then moved into private‐equity in Asia, which gave him financial and legal experience that later helped in structuring Alibaba’s growth.
In business, Tsai helped Alibaba expand beyond China, played a key role in its IPO in 2014, and stayed on as a senior executive and board member.
In the sports realm, Tsai is best known for his ownership of the Brooklyn Nets (NBA) via his holding company, and he also owns or controls other sports entities (such as the New York Liberty in the WNBA) and related arena assets.
Philanthropically, Tsai and his wife Clara Wu Tsai have made major donations to education (for example at Yale) and other civic causes.
In short: Joseph Tsai is a global business figure who spans technology, law, private equity, sports and philanthropy, and whose influence goes well beyond any single domain.
Joseph Tsai Net Worth
Tsai’s net worth estimates vary depending on the source and the date, but the consensus is that he is a multi-billionaire, with wealth derived primarily from his stake in Alibaba and his diversified investments.
- As of 2025, the magazine Forbes listed his net worth at about US $12.1 billion.
- Other sources estimate his net worth around US $11.5 billion.
- Earlier estimates placed it in the range of US $8-10 billion — which reflects the variability in valuations of Alibaba stock and his other assets.
Because much of his wealth is tied up in Alibaba shares and large holdings (including sports franchises and real estate), his net worth fluctuates with market conditions and valuation of private assets.
In short: Joseph Tsai is firmly in the “billionaire” category, with his net worth depending heavily on technology, global markets and his sports/investment holdings.
Key Ownership Highlights
- Joe Tsai initially purchased a 49 % stake in the Brooklyn Nets from Russian‐billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov in October 2017.
- He exercised his option to buy the remaining stake and assumed full ownership of the team (and its arena) on 18 September 2019.
- Tsai’s involvement also covers the arena (Barclays Center) and affiliated teams (for example the WNBA’s New York Liberty) via BSE Global.
- The transaction’s approval by the NBA Board of Governors formalised Tsai as the Governor for the Nets.
Recent Developments in Ownership
- In mid‐2024, Joe Tsai sold a minority stake (~15 %) of BSE Global (which owns the Nets) to the Julia Koch family, valuing BSE Global at around US $5.8 billion.
- The increasing valuation of the franchise, arena, and affiliated assets reflects a rapidly growing franchise value for the NBA and its teams.
FAQs
1. Who is the current owner of the Brooklyn Nets?
The primary owner is Joe Tsai, who as of September 2019 became the controlling owner of the Brooklyn Nets through his holding company BSE Global.
2. Is the Brooklyn Nets publicly traded or privately owned?
The Brooklyn Nets themselves are not independently publicly traded; they are privately held through BSE Global. BSE Global is the holding entity that owns the Nets, Barclays Center, and other related assets.
3. Who founded the Brooklyn Nets?
The franchise began in 1967 (as another entity prior to relocalisation). The current ownership was not the founder; Joe Tsai is the current owner, not the founder.
4. Has the ownership changed recently?
Yes. In 2019, Joe Tsai completed purchase of the full ownership. More recently, minority stakes in the holding company (BSE Global) have been sold (for example ~15 % to Julia Koch’s family) which affects the ownership structure though Tsai remains the controlling owner.
Discover more from Who Is The Owner Of
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.