Both of Joe Tsai’s Brooklyn basketball teams — the Nets and Liberty — are adding new bosses. And both have plenty of history across the river in the Garden.
Eight months after parting ways with David Levy, the Nets will name former Garden vice president John Abbamondi their new president. And The Post has learned that Keia Clarke has been named the first CEO in the history of the Liberty — and one of just two in the entire WNBA.
Abbamondi parted ways with the Garden in January after spending the past four years as executive vice president of ticketing, suites and hospitality — overseeing both the Knicks and Rangers. Now he’ll take over the Nets in a move first reported by Sportico and confirmed by The Post.
Ever since Levy left as CEO in November after less than two months, the role had been filled by Oliver Weisberg, the Nets’ alternate governor. But he has a full-time job as CEO of Blue Pool — Tsai’s family office in Hong Kong — and had been flying back and forth.
Before joining the Garden, Abbamondi had been the NBA’s senior vice president of team marketing and business operations, responsible for raising team profits. With the Nets just 24th in attendance this season, that will be a major focus for Abbamondi, a Billy Beane protégé who has worked for the Cardinals and Padres and ex-Navy flight officer who logged 40 combat missions over Iraq.
Clarke has spent a decade with the Liberty — set to move into Barclays Center in 2021 — and had been the chief operating officer. But she earned a promotion to a CEO position specifically created for her. She joins Seattle’s Alisha Valavanis as the only CEOs in the WNBA, which often has execs answerable to their NBA teams. Tsai and his wife, Clara, took a different approach.
“When I first joined the organization in 2011 I couldn’t have dreamed I’d have earned the right to become CEO of this franchise,” Clarke told The Post. “It’s such a storied franchise, an original team. It’s an absolute honor, a privilege to work alongside Joe and Clara and Oliver Weisberg. … I really feel quite honored.
“The operational oversight, the bigger picture here is strategic long-term thinking, having the correct environment and empowerment of ownership to think how this business will grow over time, that’s what I’m looking forward to. Be focused on your fan base and understanding how it will translate to metric growth and increased [key performance indicators].”
Tsai added: “Keia has an incredible ability to combine strategic thinking, operating excellence and a focus on people and talent. These qualities, plus her unassuming leadership style, will take our Liberty franchise to the next level.”
The Nets lost their first scrimmage of the restart on Wednesday against New Orleans. Pelicans’ star Zion Williamson has been testing negative for COVID-19, but is still away from the team.