The Koch family’s acquisition of a 15% stake in Brooklyn Nets parent company BSE Global values the struggling NBA franchise at $3.8 billion and the parent company at $5.8 billion, The Washington Post has learned.
Julia Koch – widow of David Koch, she is one of the richest women in the world with an estimated net worth of around $65 billion. According to Forbes Her three children agreed earlier this week to pay just under $700 million for their stakes in BSE Global, according to a source with direct knowledge of the deal.
The company, chaired by Nets owner Joe Tsai, also owns the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Barclays Centers, the world’s most profitable arenas, according to Billboard.
Cork’s 15% stake in BSE Global values the Barclays Center at $1.5 billion and the Liberty at about $200 million, according to a source with knowledge of the financial breakdown of the deal, a significant increase from the team’s value of $130 million at the start of the year, according to Sportico.
The Liberty reached the WNBA Finals last season and have exploded in popularity in the league this year with the addition of rookie phenom Caitlin Clark.
Tsai Ing-wen and the Koch brothers declined to comment.
Reports this week said the Koch family plans to buy BSE’s shares at a valuation of about $6 billion, but the breakdown between divisions is unclear.
The Nets’ value has risen by more than a third since Tsai bought the team for $2.35 billion in 2019, when he also paid $1 billion for Barclays Center. The $3.8 billion valuation puts the Nets in the middle of the NBA, where franchise values have soared in recent years.
As of 2024, the Golden State Warriors are valued at $7.7 billion, followed by the New York Knicks ($6.6 billion) and Los Angeles Lakers ($6.4 billion). According to Forbes.
