Eastern Promises
With news that billionaire and Russia’s richest man Mikhail Prokhorov has made an offer to buy the New Jersey Nets, American fans of the NBA are faced with a quandary: can we root for a team owned by a bunch of commies?
“He had an AK-47…I was scared.”
As children of the late 20th century, it’s hard for some of us to trust a vodka swilling Cossack whose wallet is fat with corporate proceeds. (Prokhorov made his fortune by cashing out a giant stake in commodities before the global market crashed in 2008…sound Enron-ish?)
Wouldn’t our grandfathers — America’s “greatest generation” — rise from their graves to kick our collective asses, Walt Kowalski–style? Maybe there’s something that our ancestors knew about the Russians that we don’t…
Only one man stands in the way of this $700M deal becoming a reality: David Stern. Because Prokhorov needs 75% of the 30 owners to approve his bid, it will ultimately depend on which direction the Commish wants to push the league. It’s no secret that he’s set about globalizing the game, from China to Puerto Rico, but will Stern endorse a sketchy Ruskie? Or will Stern be a fatter version of Rocky to Prokhorov’s Ivan Drago?
Category: Basketball