Report: Nets in talks with billionaire Julia Koch for 10% ownership stake

According to a report from Sportico on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets are in talks with billionaire Julia Koch for her to become part-owner.

The Brooklyn Nets have been owned by Joseph Tsai since September 2019 and since then, the team has seen mixed results on the court due to a variety of factors. To add an interesting wrinkle to something that could impact the team years from now due to something off the floor, it’s possible that more voices could be added to the Nets soon.

Per a report on Thursday from Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico, the Nets are in conversations with billionaire Julia Koch for her to acquire about 10% of an ownership stake in the Nets’ parent company, BSE Global. Koch, who was married to billionaire David Koch before he passed away on Aug. 23, 2019, is “looking to invest” along with her children, according to what the sources told Sportico.

BSE Global, which also owns Barclays Center and the WNBA’s New York Liberty, did not comment on the report, per Sportico. According to what one of the sources told Sportico, Koch Industries is not involved in the transaction and that Tsai, along with his wife Clara Wu, would retain control of the Nets.

This report is eerily similar to how the Tsais became owners of the Nets just a few years ago, aside from the percentage of ownership being purchased. While the Tsais became owners of the franchise in 2019, they initially purchased a 49% ownership stake in the team in October 2017 from then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

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