The billionaire tech and sports magnate, philanthropist couple, Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, announced they have decided to end their nearly 30-year marriage. The couple, who control Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment (BSE), the umbrella parent entity governing the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, the WNBA’s New York Liberty, and Barclays Center, announced their separation in a joint statement. In the same statement, they confirmed that they maintain a continued professional business partnership.

In an official statement issued through a spokesperson, the couple confirmed that their divorce is amicable and will not alter the governance or daily operations of their sports franchises:

“Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai have decided to end their marriage, a decision they came to mutually and with great respect for one another. Over the years, their relationship evolved into more of a partnership, one of running their businesses and raising their children together. While they have grown apart, their divorce is amicable and their relationship remains a strong, professional partnership.”

Addressing immediate questions regarding executive control over their sports properties, the statement explicitly outlined that leadership roles across Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment will remain unchanged:

“Their decision will not affect the business operations of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment, the Brooklyn Nets or the New York Liberty. Joe will remain Chairman and Clara will remain Vice Chair of Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment. Joe will remain Governor of the Brooklyn Nets and Clara will remain Governor of the New York Liberty. They will continue to own and be stewards of the teams with professional management in place as they always have.”

The statement further added, “In the long run, they also plan to involve their children,” confirming that their three adult children will eventually play a role in their sports and business empire.

Joseph Tsai’s position as Chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group remains completely unaffected, with no plans to liquidate Alibaba shares.

Inside the Tsais’ Sports and Business Empire: From Alibaba Success to Brooklyn Sports Dominance

The announcement brings clarity to one of the most powerful ownership duos in modern American sports. Married in October 1996 in New York City, Joe, 62, and Clara, 60, built a massive global profile over three decades.

Joe, who holds an estimated net worth in the range of roughly $9–13 billion depending on the source and date (Forbes has placed it above $12 billion at times), earned his fortune as a co-founder and current Chairman of Alibaba Group, joining Jack Ma in 1999 to construct the tech giant’s legal and financial framework. Famously, he took only a $ 50-a-month salary when he first joined.

The couple made shockwaves in the sports industry between 2018 and 2019 when they acquired full control of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center from Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. The landmark ~$2.35 billion valuation for the Nets portion of the transaction set a record at the time as the most expensive purchase of an American sports franchise (with the full deal including arena rights often cited in the $3.3–3.5 billion range).

It’s since been surpassed many times over by the sales of the Celtics, Lakers, and Trail Blazers. Recent valuations put the Nets and arena assets around $6.2 billion and the Liberty around $600 million, according to Sportico.

Simultaneously, the Tsais acquired the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2019. Wu, a Stanford and Harvard alum, took the helm as Team Governor and orchestrated the WNBA franchise’s transformative move to Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn.

Under Clara Wu Tsai’s leadership, the Liberty underwent a dramatic revitalization, investing heavily in player amenities, practice facilities, and elite talent acquisitions like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, turning the franchise into a flagship brand in women’s professional sports.

Clara also established the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance in 2021 to study human biology and athletic performance, while serving as a founding partner for the criminal justice reform organization REFORM Alliance.

Beyond basketball, the couple also holds equity in the National Lacrosse League’s San Diego Seals and Las Vegas Desert Dogs, as well as Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles FC. It ties to Tsai’s past as a footballer and lacrosse player, both in school and at Yale.

Off the court, the Tsais have poured hundreds of millions into community development and scientific research. Through the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, established in 2014, the couple launched a $50 million Social Justice Fund in 2020 to boost economic mobility in Brooklyn.

While Joe primarily resides in Hong Kong for business and Clara lives in the United States, the pair recently appeared together as co-speakers at The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) Heritage Month Summit in May 2026.

With professional executive teams firmly in place at Barclays Center and across their philanthropic arms, the Tsais intend to maintain seamless continuity across all shared ventures as joint stewards.