Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai is the face of NBA's uneasy China relations

April 14, 2022 9:27 AM

"Joe Tsai, The billionaire owner of the Brooklyn Nets, made his fortune in China. His company, Alibaba, began in a Hangzhou apartment and has since been described as 'Amazon on steroids.'

When Tsai bought into the NBA, commissioner Adam Silver predicted he'd be 'invaluable' to the league's expansion in the world's largest market.

Two and a half years later, Tsai personifies the compromises embedded in the NBA-China relationship, which brings in billions of dollars but requires the league to do business with an authoritarian government and look past the kind of social justice issues it is fighting at home."

posted by 47WaysToLeaveYourLover (4 comments total)

What's disappointing about Mr. Tsai is that he was born in Taiwan, educated in the US and holds Canadian citizenship. He wasn't raised under CCP propaganda, he doesn't have family in the mainland he needs to look after. He should be the complete opposite of a man who supports Beijing. But his fortune comes first.
posted by riruro at 11:48 AM on April 15, 2022

Yes, the article shows the confusing stance of Joe Tsai, where he seems to believe convoluted and contradictory things like "He supports personal freedoms but believes they can get in the way of stability."

But the last sentence of the article makes it clear what he is all about.
posted by eye of newt at 12:01 PM on April 15, 2022

Jack Ma is usually credited for creating Alibaba in his apartment, with some friends.
posted by Oyéah at 6:00 PM on April 15, 2022

Jack Ma is usually credited for creating Alibaba in his apartment, with some friends.
--Oyéah

The article eventually explains this. It is just that first clickbait sentence that has the implication that it was Joe Tsai's apartment. I guess Joe Tsai was part of the 'with some friends'.
posted by eye of newt at 10:55 AM on April 21, 2022