Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai admitted that watching the Knicks end their 53-year championship drought was frustrating, but said it will not change Brooklyn’s rebuilding plans.
“Every year, some team is going to win a championship,” Tsai said. “So it happens that this year that team is in the same city. It doesn’t make us feel very good.
“It irates our fanbase, and it is embarrassing, but in business or in competition, in sports, or in anything, you shouldn’t let the embarrassment factor affect how you perform.
“[We] had a plan and we’re rebuilding, and I think right now we are on a positive trajectory. So it doesn’t change my thinking at all.”
Brooklyn previously pursued a championship by assembling Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but injuries and playoff disappointments ultimately ended that experiment.
While the Nets shifted toward rebuilding, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks became contenders and eventually defeated the Spurs in five games to win the NBA championship.
Brooklyn is now looking to move forward under Jordi Fernández, with Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. leading a young core.
General manager Sean Marks called the team’s future “really exciting to see what they look like,” while Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CFO Peter Stern said the organization was “happy for the Knicks” and believes “more people loving basketball” could benefit the sport in New York.
Joe Tsai not changing Nets plan after ’embarrassing’ feeling of Knicks championship https://t.co/23MxY9pc0X pic.twitter.com/lm9lV8NgdO
— New York Post (@nypost) August 18, 2026
