When the New York Liberty clinched their first WNBA Championship in 2024, New York City erupted in celebration. The team’s signature color, seafoam green, was suddenly seen on every block in Brooklyn, and star players Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones became household names. Ellie, the team’s energetic mascot, became a symbol for the Big Apple’s strength, power, culture, and cooperative spirit.
But the story of the New York Liberty is far from an overnight success. Off the court, the team’s owners, Clara Wu Tsai and her husband, Joe Tsai, worked tirelessly to ensure the Liberty had the financial support and mentorship needed to bring home the title. Wu Tsai’s first key move: relocating the team from Westchester to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center after buying the franchise in 2019. In doing so, she transformed the arena experience and made it immersive, reigniting interest in loyal fans and attracting newcomers alike. All of Wu Tsai’s strategic initial investments set the stage for sold out games and confetti-filled celebrations to come.
For her visionary leadership and exemplary mentorship, Wu Tsai, known for her player-first approach and passion for giving back to the local community, was awarded this year’s Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics from the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. The award was established in 1989 by Benjamin ’26 and Bessie Botwinick to honor an individual who exemplifies the highest standard of ethical conduct and professionalism throughout their leadership journey.
Upon accepting the Prize at Columbia Business School’s Manhattanville campus, Wu Tsai sat down with Bernstein Faculty Director Modupe Akinola, and discussed her early mentors, her immense contribution to women’s sports, and the future of the game for her Brooklyn teams. Read on for highlights from their conversation (edited for clarity):
On Early Influences
“I grew up with Midwestern values—a strong work ethic and a real belief in the importance of education. I should also say I have a legacy of standing up for fairness and what’s right from an early age. My grandfather, the first democratically elected mayor in Taipei, fought on behalf of Taiwanese rice farmers in the Japanese occupation. And my dad fought for Taiwanese independence and self-determination from abroad. So, from an early age, I had examples of how to stand up for people who didn't have power, and how to use your platform to do what is fair and right.”
On Hiring Exceptional Leaders
“Hiring exceptional leadership; I can’t understate how important that is. Our GM [of the New York Liberty], Jonathan Kolb, masterminded the super team. He has a really special ability to identify talent—including overseas. We also have Keia Clarke, a veteran leader who has been with the Liberty since before we owned the team and has been CEO for the last five years. Keia and her team created the wall-to-wall entertainment we see today. I would say they changed the perception of women’s sports because it’s more than just basketball.”
On Supporting Women and Girls in Sports
“Protect Title IX at all costs. We’re 50 years behind the men, and Title IV has really helped with that. What I’m hoping will happen as a result of this popularity around the WNBA is young girls will see confetti falling on Sabrina or Stewie after the winning buzzer or see JJ on a parade float going down Broadway, and they will aspire to be that person. When people see that and dream of that it will inspire more girls to play basketball at the professional level.”
On Giving Back to the Community
“We made a $50 million over 10-year commitment to racial justice and economic mobility in Brooklyn in 2020 after George Floyd’s murder. We focused on access to capital because that’s where we felt structurally and systemically a lot of businesses, run by founders of color, have been underfunded.”
