Clara Wu Tsai

Clara Wu Tsai (born 1966) is an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and activist. She is a co-owner of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Barclays Center.

Early life and education Tsai was born in Lawrence, Kansas, to De Min Wu and Chin-Sha Wu, who were immigrants from Taiwan. Her father was a professor of economics at the University of Kansas and her grandfather, Wu San-lien, was the first elected mayor of Taipei City. Tsai attended Stanford University, receiving both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a master's degree in international relations in 1988.

Career Wu Tsai was a senior manager and vice president in the business analysis unit of the finance group at American Express.

In January 2019, Wu Tsai and her husband purchased the Brooklyn Nets and the Nets' arena Barclays Center from Mikhail Prokhorov. In 2019, the New York Liberty were sold to the Tsais and moved the team to Barclays Center. The Tsais gave the team amenities facilities "equal to their male counterparts," according to the New York Times, and recruited star players like Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart. She is the Team Governor for the New York Liberty.

Wu Tsai is the executive producer of the films Into the Okavango, a 2018 National Geographic documentary about conservation; Blue Bayou, a 2021 drama; Unfinished Business, a 2022 documentary about the WNBA; and Lucky Lu a 2025 drama;

Boards Wu Tsai serves on the board of trustees for Stanford University, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and New York Presbyterian Hospital. She serves on the University of Washington Institute of Protein Design's advisory board and on the board of directors of REFORM Alliance, where she was a founding partner.

Philanthropy

Wu Tsai and her husband started a foundation, the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation. Wu Tsai leads and manages the foundation's work in supporting scientific research, economic mobility, social justice, and creativity in the arts.

In August 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, Wu Tsai and her husband launched the Social Justice Fund in Brooklyn with a $50 million commitment. The fund invests in programs that address the root causes of the borough's racial disparities in education, health, and wealth. Initiatives included BK-XL, a tech accelerator focused on founders in the black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) communities; the EXCELerate Loan Fund, which provides low-interest loans to BIPOC business owners; and Basquiat in Brooklyn Schools, an educational arts program about Brooklyn-born artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.

Wu Tsai and her husband donated to Yale University to establish the Wu Tsai Institute in 2021. The Institute has three centers: the Center for Neurodevelopment and Plasticity, the Center for Neurocognition and Behavior, and the Center for Neurocomputation and Machine Intelligence.

In July 2021, the Tsais pledged $220 million to create the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, a consortium of experts and academics from Stanford University, the University of Kansas, the University of Oregon, the University of California, San Diego, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

In July 2021, the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation funded a Jean-Michel Basquiat educational arts program developed in partnership between the Brooklyn Nets, the New York City Department of Education and the Fund for Public Schools, with an exhibit hosted in August 2021.

In 2022, the Tsais donated $50 million to the renovation of Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic. The hall reopened in October 2022, with the theater where the Philharmonic performs renamed as the Wu Tsai Theater. As part of the gift, Lincoln Center and the Philharmonic programmed an annual "Wu Tsai Series" featuring performances meant to reach new audiences and celebrate diverse artists.

Awards In February 2021, Wu Tsai was named "Champion of Justice" by John Jay College for her role in creating and forming REFORM Alliance. The award also recognized her $50 million donation to create the Social Justice Fund for Brooklyn's Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. In May 2023, Wu Tsai was honored by the Gordan Parks Foundation.

In February 2024, Wu Tsai was presented with the Dreamer Award during the first-quarter break of a game between the Nets and the Boston Celtics. The award, which honors those who "embody" Martin Luther King Jr.'s "vision of service," was given by King Jr.'s family members Martin Luther King III and Andrea Waters King, via their Realizing the Dream organization.

Personal life Wu Tsai married businessman Joseph Tsai at Park Avenue Christian Church on October 4, 1996. They have three children. The Tsais announced their divorce on August 1, 2026.

Wu Tsai has a residence in La Jolla, California.