The owner of the Brooklyn Nets is Russian banking and mining billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. In 2012 he ran for the Russian presidency against Vladimir Putin and won 8% of the vote. When he announced his candidacy in 2011, the NBA ruled that he could be president of Russia and still own an NBA team, citing the precedent of then-sitting US Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), who owns the Milwaukee Bucks. Prokhorov, 49, is also the head of the Russian Biathlon Union and yesterday he guided Russia’s team to a gold medal. Prokhorov has campaigned for LGBT rights in Russia and last year declared, “It is a personal affair who has sex with whom.” Some are speculating that the hiring of Jason Collins is a middle finger from Prokhorov to Putin.
RELATED: Tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers will not be televised nationally, but you can listen to the play-by-play online via the website of NYC sports radio station WFAN. The game starts at 9PM Eastern.