Bloomberg reports that Prokhorov announced his approach on his blog yesterday. He said he had offered a “symbolic amount” to buy the club in return for a agreeing to fund the teams troubled move to a new arena in Brooklyn, New York.
Reuters reports that sources close to the billionaire have previously estimated the value of a deal with the Nets - which has been touted for a while - at $700 million.
The NBA does not bar overseas owners, but transfer of ownership requires background checks on the new owner and approval by 75 per cent of the league's 30 owners.
The Nets' move to Brooklyn has been dogged by legal disputes, financing problems and challenges from local community groups, and in June current team owner, the developer Bruce Ratner dropped renowned architect Frank Gehry from the project to cut costs.
Neither the NBA or the Nets have yet commented on the Prokhorov offer.
