25 Facts About Joseph Tsai

Joseph Tsai is a Taiwanese-Canadian billionaire businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist.

Joseph Tsai is a co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba Group and owns the Brooklyn Nets of the American National Basketball Association, the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association, the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League, and has interests in several other professional sports franchises.

Joseph Tsai has three younger siblings: Eva, Vivian, and Benjamin.

The Tsai family had escaped to Taiwan as part of the Kuomintang exodus after the communists took over control of Mainland China in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War.

At age 13, Joseph Tsai was sent to the US to attend the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where he played both lacrosse and football and was a member of Cleve House.

Joseph Tsai played for the Yale varsity lacrosse team for four years and has remained a supporter of the team.

Joseph Tsai left for Hong Kong in 1995 to join the Swedish Wallenberg family's investment conglomerate Investor AB, where he was responsible for its Asian private equity investments.

Joseph Tsai was impressed with Ma's idea to create an international import and export marketplace, as well as his charismatic personality, but it was Ma's followers and their energy and enthusiasm that ultimately convinced Joseph Tsai.

Joseph Tsai served as chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and founding board member.

Joseph Tsai single-handedly established Alibaba's financial and legal structure, since no other member of the team had any experience in venture capital or law.

Joseph Tsai has become the second-largest individual shareholder of Alibaba after Ma.

In September 2019, Joseph Tsai became the owner of the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA and chairman of Barclays Center.

Joseph Tsai exercised that option in August 2019, and at the same time, bought the Nets' arena from Prokhorov for nearly $1 billion in a separate deal.

In January 2019, Joseph Tsai headed a group that bought the WNBA's New York Liberty from The Madison Square Garden Company.

Joseph Tsai is the owner of the San Diego Seals, and a co-owner of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, both of which are professional box lacrosse teams in the National Lacrosse League.

Joseph Tsai is chairman of J Tsai Sports with investments in the upstart field lacrosse league, the Premier Lacrosse League and several sports media and technology companies based in North America and Asia.

Joseph Tsai made his investment in the Premier Lacrosse League in February 2019, along with The Chernin Group and The Raine Group, helping fund the new lacrosse league founded by lacrosse player Paul Rabil and his brother Mike Rabil.

In March 2018, Joseph Tsai joined a Michael Rubin-led group to buy the Carolina Panthers.

Joseph Tsai is an investor in Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC.

Joseph Tsai holds Canadian and Hong Kong dual citizenship spending much of his time in Vancouver and Hong Kong.

Joseph Tsai is an advisor for Taobao and is a member of The Bishop's School board of trustees.

Joseph Tsai still spends much of his time in Hong Kong for business and still has a home in Hong Kong.

In January 2022, Joseph Tsai paid $188 million for a penthouse at 220 Central Park South.

On 7 October 2019, Joseph Tsai weighed in after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a tweet supporting protesters in Hong Kong.

In March 2016, Joseph Tsai donated $30 million to his alma mater, Yale Law School, in honor of his father to support the continuing work of the Law School's China Center and renamed it Paul Joseph Tsai China Center.