Nets’ Owner Joe Tsai Lands WNBA Championship

Joe Tsai’s New York Liberty were crowned champions over the Minnesota Lynx last night.

Oct 20, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime to win the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets’ owner Joe Tsai has gotten his first taste of championship success as a sports owner.

On Sunday night, the New York Liberty — also owned by Tsai — defeated the Minnesota Lynx in a full-on effort that required the necessary fifth game and an extra frame.

Led by stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionesco and more, the Liberty cruised to a 67-62 win to take home the franchise’s first-ever championship. It was a long time coming for the team, which won the league’s very first game and played in the inaugural championship, but had yet to ascend the mountain.

After investing in the Nets in 2017, Tsai officially became owner of the team in 2019. Earlier that year, he had acquired the now-champion Liberty.

After shipping off the team’s best player over the offseason in favor of a full-blown rebuild, it’s safe to say the Nets won’t see similar success in the 2024-25 season. But acquiring the team's picks back and building through the NBA Draft — especially with such strong class's coming up — is absolutely the correct decision for the franchise.

With a new head coach in Jordi Fernandez, a solid scouting department and the basketball-driven Tsai at the helm, the Nets likely won't take long to return to contention.

Brooklyn kicks off its 2024-25 regular season against the Atlanta Hawks at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

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