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Anybody who thinks the Nets didn’t tank last season — or doubts their intent to double down even harder this time around — just listen to team owner Joe Tsai. “Well, I have to say that we’re in a rebuilding year,” Tsai said recently. “We spent all of our [2025] picks — we had five first-round draft picks this past summer. We have one pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.” The transparency was admirable. And the tank will be undeniable.
Tsai played a big if largely undisclosed role in the return to normalcy and he is expected to be a big part of the celebrations this week. At a press conference Monday, Silver told reporters that Tsai was indeed helpful because of his relationships with the NBA and Chinese government. “It’s not the reason we’re back in China right now,” Silver said of Tsai’s connections, “But of course to the extent that Joe is highly respected — both in the United States and China — there’s no question that’s helpful, as much of the sports industry is based on relationships.” In anticipation of a big reception for his players, Tsai told Brian Lewis he’s already issued a friendly warning to them.
The Nets were set to fly on Monday to Macao, the so-called Las Vegas of Asia. The NBA is making a big bet on reopening the huge China market and wagering that the Nets are the best team to help rebuild those burnt billion-dollar bridges as they prepare for a pair of preseason games against the Suns. It’s hard to imagine a better candidate, with Nets owner Joe Tsai one of the most successful businessmen in China, forward Zeng Fanbo one of the country’s top young prospects and the Nets one of the most popular teams in the Asian country. “I was telling the players, when they go to Macao, when they step into the street, they’re going to be mobbed because the fan base in China has remained loyal,” Tsai told the Post.
Brian Lewis: Ribbon cutting of the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center with (L to R) #Nets owner Joe Tsai, wife Clara Wu Tsai, BSE Global CEO Adam Zussman and Nets minority owner David Koch Jr. #nba #Liberty IMGhttps://twitter.com/NYPost_Lewis/status/1971336267829756015
When chief brand officer Shana Stephenson began with the Liberty in 2018, she would reach out to contacts in her phone to fill seats. Sometimes, she’d extend on-the-spot invites to individuals she’d meet at events around the city. But once the Tsais entered the picture, Clara began bringing in her own high-profile circle, and the team’s PR staff started making bigger asks. Even players were posting social media callouts inviting major stars, including Beyoncé and Rihanna, to catch a game. Neither A-lister has attended a game, yet, but they are atop the Liberty’s list of hopeful guests. These bold efforts began to pay dividends. Billie Jean King, Kobe Bryant and her daughters, and Liberty legends including Sue Wicks were among the first stars to shine courtside.
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Jack Ma, one of China’s richest and most famous businessmen as the founder of Alibaba, is joining the Liberty’s list of investors, along with five women, an eclectic group of fund managers, a supermodel and the daughters of two top American sportsmen, the Liberty announced on Tuesday.
Between a new hands-on role running Alibaba, buying a share of the Dolphins, and jetting back and forth from China, it’s a busy time for their owner. But Joe Tsai reiterated his priority in Brooklyn is championships, not cash. And when asked if he was interested in buying an NFL team, he replied no because he’s still focused on building the NBA franchise he already has into a winner. “No, I still don’t feel like I’m an NFL owner,” said Tsai, who has a three percent stake in the Dolphins. “I’ve got to take care of the Brooklyn Nets first, which means you need to win first in the sport that you’re already involved in. So you’ve got to take care of business here.”
With president-elect Donald Trump set to be inaugurated Monday and vowing to impose tariffs on Chinese exports, Nets owner Joe Tsai— who is the chairman and co-founder of Chinese giant Alibaba — weighed in. “Right now, this is, I could say definitively, the most unfriendly geopolitical environment that we’ve been in,” Tsai said this week at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. “As a Chinese company, if we want to do business in the U.S., we’re gonna get hit by whatever it may be, [including] tariffs.”
Executives of the Brooklyn Nets and its parent company, BSE Global, will privately tell you that they believe rising tensions between the U.S. and China are unlikely to effect things with the NBA or WNBA teams owned by Joe and Clara Wu Tsai ... even with President Donald Trump preparing to impose tariffs on Chinese exports once he’s inaugurated Monday. Neither Tsai is a citizen of China, they note. Joe Tsai, who was born in Taiwan, is a citizen of Canada having moved there as a child before attending high school, college and law school in the United States. Clara Wu Tsai, co-owner of the Nets, co-governor of the New York Liberty, is an American citizen born in Kansas. That said, Tsai is the executive chairman of Alibaba, the giant Chinese e-commerce company, and he and his wife have a vast array of connections — through business, sports, culture and philanthropy — that span the countries’ relations and he often comments on relations between the two countries. (Tsai’s sports entities are held separately from Alibaba, being part of his family investment office.)
They’ll have four in June’s exceptionally deep draft. It’s a far cry from when Marks took over in 2016 with no picks and had to take salary dumps. “When we started out here eight years ago, the hand we were dealt, we were handcuffed. There was only a couple … really one way of building, whereas now we’ve got a few more,” Marks told The Post. “We’ve got these draft assets that you can obviously pick them, you can trade them, you can move them around. We’ve got the room. And ultimately, we’ve got two things: We’ve got a market that’s going to be attractive, and we’ve got Joe [Tsai] as an owner that’s proved that at the right time, he’ll go all-in, and he’s not afraid to say it and do it. “In this CBA, that speaks volumes. When there’s a lot of other places that are like, ‘Oh my gosh, the penalties! How do I get out of this thing?’ But the ultimate goal here is at some point to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re contending for a championship.’ That’s what every team wants to be able to build up to do that. And hopefully with the flexibility that we’ve got and we’ll have an opportunity to do that at some point. When that is, I couldn’t answer.”
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While any Net is technically considered available, given the early rebuilding stage the franchise is embarking on, it’s worth noting league sources told HoopsHype owner Joe Tsai is a fan of Thomas. Coach Fernandez has also lauded his scoring “superpowers” in press conferences.
Nets Daily: Barclays Center celebrity row Sunday: NBA’s Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Thompson twins, Derrick Lively II; Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, UConn’s Azzi Fudd & Paige Bueckers, gymnast Jordan Chiles, boxer Claressa Shields, TV host Tamron Hall and owners Joe & Clara Tsai!
Nets Daily: Nothing new on Nets signing of Jacky Cui, but in recent video, Joe Tsai told fans any Chinese player must be NBA-ready. “If I bring in a Chinese player, it's meaningless if he doesn’t have the ability ... If he can’t play, I'll be criticized. If he can, it'll be meaningful.”
Nets Daily: Julia Koch and her hoops-loving son, David Koch Jr were with Joe Tsai at Commissioner's Cup game last night to watch Liberty, 24 hours after being approved as minority owners. Bet they're on hand tonight at Barclays Center. also part of the deal.