A report from Reuters Thursday afternoon asserted that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov was preparing an offer in the neighborhood of $700 million to purchase a stake in the Nets franchise and help build current team owner Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project, which would include a new Nets arena in Brooklyn. A Prokhorov representative vaguely confirmed that the tycoon (Russia's richest man, at assets around $9.5 billion) could possibly participate in building a sports arena in the United States.Charles V. Bagli of the New York Times was later able to get confirmation from Nets executives that Ratner is negotiating to sell not just a major stake of the Nets franchise to Prokhorov, but a majority stake. While Prokhorov has been attached to major sports teams before, this is the closest he has reportedly come to entering an America-based league.
Ratner unveiled updated plans for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn last week. The plan was pared down from a Frank Gehry-designed building deemed too extraordinarily expensive. The New Yorker's Paul Goldberger approved of the new design, Architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff of the Times wasn't as ebullient in his review. More importantly, a decision by the state Court of Appeals on protests by Brooklyn residents concerning the use of eminent domain to acquire the Atlantic Yards property is still pending, with resolution expected this winter, leading to potential groundbreaking in December.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-19-2009 @ 7:15AM
free said...
The nets suck anyway. Maybe they do need to move and they also need "New Jerseys" lol. I dont like their current jerseys.
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9-28-2009 @ 11:34AM
Tony Bologna said...
Now, along with the hard working, NON CORRUPT, Carpenters Union Local 926 President Sal Zarzana, maybe this project will get done! Brooklyn deserves BETTER! 52 years is far too long a time for this great boro to be without a "MAJOR"League team.
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9-19-2009 @ 8:42AM
SlickLickRick said...
Russia's richest man has to be Russia's most corrupt man. That's just the nature of the beast.
He'll fit perfectly in today's no-standards world of American sports.
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9-19-2009 @ 9:14AM
hotrodqd said...
nope !
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9-19-2009 @ 9:31AM
Cool-V said...
Damn! I guess Jay-Z doesn't Have as much say in the nets as I thought. He puts it out there like he is the one calling the shots. I guess we now know the truth
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9-19-2009 @ 9:44AM
hootie1947 said...
is good to see new owner, maybe he will buy some good eurpean playes who the majority of the fans can identify with, and start attending the games again..and kick to the curb, the spoiled, uneducated, drug infested typical nba player of today. and pay each player their salary at the end of the seaaon, based completely on how , he produces that season, not paid before the season, how asinine no one else in the world is payed one year ahead of time...now wonder the nba is going broke..and also when a player signs a contract,, make him have to stay with that team for the complete term of the contract, and quit let the richer teams like la, mavericks, and others buy and stockpile all the players they want..
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9-19-2009 @ 10:31AM
Kingpindrs said...
Bravo! ..hootie1947, I agree completely.
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9-23-2009 @ 12:19AM
eronneauyang said...
Mikhail Prokhorov is such a crafty businessman, maybe this is not all he want.
watch for his next move
While all the nets fans are exciting about this, because the movement may lead nets to be the richest club in the league.
http://blog.24reader.com/replicajewelry/
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9-23-2009 @ 1:34AM
Giles said...
An article on the tallest man showed a man 8`1, who needed two canes to stand, mentioned an 8`5 man who refused to be measured. Tne nicompoops 51% of them said if they were that tall they`d paly basketball! On crutches? And speculated about how big his genital is. If that is such a magnet, he wouldn`t be moaning about not having a girlfriend. Democracy is like NBA officials, the worst of all possible systems, except any other system. Common sense it seems is not remotely common.
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