Julia Koch in talks to purchase 10% stake in company that owns the Nets, Liberty, and Barclays Center, reports say
Julia Koch attends "An Evening Honoring Valentino" gala, hosted by the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund, at Alice Tully Hall on Dec. 7, 2015, in New York. Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Evan Agostini
TORONTO - Julia Koch is reportedly in talks to purchase a 10% stake in BSE Global, the holding company that owns the Nets, Barclays Center and the Liberty. Koch is president of the David H. Koch Foundation, named for her late husband who died in 2019.
Bloomberg first reported Koch’s interest Thursday and Sportico also reported that she and her three children would be part of the investment stake. Sportico added that Koch Industries would not be involved with the deal.
According to Forbes, Koch is the second-richest woman in the world with a net worth of $59 billion, as of last April. Sportico recently valued the Nets at $3.98 billion, which is ranked 13th among the league’s 30 teams.
Messages to BSE Global seeking comment were not immediately returned.
Nets owner Joe Tsai has owned the team outright since 2019 after he purchased 49% of the team in 2017 from previous owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
Koch is also known for her philanthropy. This month, her family foundation made a $75 million gift to NYU Langone Health to open an ambulatory care center in Florida in 2026.
The Koch network, which was overseen by brothers David and Charles, is also notable for political contributions to mostly conservative causes.
Nets sign Martin to two-way deal
The Nets signed forward Jaylen Martin to a two-way contract Wednesday, filling the last vacant two-way spot on the roster.
Martin played 15 games with the Westchester Knicks in the G-League earlier this season. He went undrafted in 2023 after playing with Overtime Elite, a college basketball alternative, which was coached by Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie before he was hired as an assistant this past offseason.
Nets lose national TV game
The Nets game against the Cavaliers in Cleveland on March 10 has been flexed off ESPN, the league announced this week. It was the last national TV game left on the schedule for the Nets, besides two games that will be on NBA TV.
The Nets have been on national TV just four times this season, a decline from 2022-23 when they had 13 games, a consequence of having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
