Yormark: We Sought Out Prokhorov

In an interview done a few months ago but published Friday, Brett Yormark says the Nets sought out Mikhail Prokhorov, not the other way around. Yormark told Sports Pro Media, a London marketing magazine, that he, Bruce Ratner and Goldman Sachs identified Prokhorov and his investment fund Onexim as a potential financial partner last year and then pursued him."We kind of sought him. Although it wasn't a public situation, we went out there looking for interested parties," said Yormark.  According to a report in Russia!, a Moscow website, Prokhorov first learned of the Nets' interest when Sports Illustrated identified him as a potential buyer in June, the day after the Nets traded Vince Carter.  (And yet, he was still interested)  Also, in spite of boastful comments Thursday that Barclays Center would have gone ahead without Prokhorov, Yormark admitted to Sports Pro, "Mr. Prokhorov provides us with surety for Brooklyn. He provides an incredible amount of resources."

Prokhorov, he adds, will help achieve the Nets' long-term goal of globalizing the franchise, noting that in addition to Russian ownership, the team can take advantage of Brooklyn's "iconic global brand", Barclays' international reach and "we've got a Chinese player [Yi Jianlin] and that's opened up opportunities in China for us."

• Brooklyn beckons - Matthew Emmett - Sports Pro Media