#Brooklyn Nets owner revealed as ‘mystery buyer’ of $157M NYC condo

The mystery buyer behind a $157 million apartment deal in Manhattan’s most prestigious condo tower has been revealed as Alibaba co-founder and Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai. 

Tsai, 57, purchased two full-floor condo apartments at 220 Central Park South, pegged as the most expensive building in New York City, in two separate transactions in May, the Wall Street Journal first reported. 

One floor, the 60th, was purchased for $82.5 million, and the floor above it was bought for $75 million on May 20.

The Taiwanese-Canadian businessman purchased both units for more than their original sale price, which recently averaged $50 million last year. 

The deal also includes a studio apartment on the 18th floor designated for his staff, according to CNBC. 

Each floor is made up of four bedrooms, five full baths and two half-baths, and spans almost 6,000 square feet. Monthly maintenance fees alone total $12,434, in addition to monthly taxes of $10,660.

Newly built in 2018, the condo features a private internal elevator with sweeping vistas of Central Park. 

Designed by Robert A.M. Stern and Thierry Despont, the building sets the standard for luxury living and comes with amenities that include a Jean-Georges restaurant just for owners and their guests, private dining rooms and entertaining spaces, an expansive fitness center with a swimming pool and spa, on-site parking, wine cellars and storage, according to the listing. 

The move comes nearly two years after Tsai paid a hefty $3.38 billion for the Brooklyn Nets, including the Barclays Center, sources previously told The Post.

Tsai’s purchase marks the biggest deal of the year so far. According to Forbes, Tsai is worth an estimated $10.6 billion. 

The building itself has seen three other huge sales since, including another two full-floor condo transactions currently in contract for $49.5 million. 

In a similar floor plan to Tsai’s newly bought condos, each floor holds four bedrooms and five full bathrooms. 

While Tsai’s purchase marked the largest sale this year, the title of the priciest home ever sold in the US goes to hedge funder Ken Griffin, who purchased four floors in the same building for a whopping $238 million in 2019.

Following these big-name sales, 220 Central Park South has continued to soar in value even through the pandemic, with now more than 90% of the building sold out.