Documents Show Larger Jay-Z Role

Documents made part of the application for liquor licenses at Barclays Center show that Jay-Z is now a director of the arena and suggests a larger role as well for Milton Lee in the Mikhail Prokhorov company that owns the Nets.

The documentation, unearthed by arena critic Norman Oder, show that Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z, listed as a director of Brooklyn Arena, LLC, which in turn controls the arena. Jay-Z has become increasingly prominent in both the Nets and arena operations. The man the Nets regularly call "cultural icon" has played a role in the design of both the Nets new corporate identity and Barclays Center club spaces. An advertising agency he partly owns, has the contract for the Nets' transition from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

Jay-Z's role in the team's direction remains undisclosed although it appears that the documentation contains outdated information on the team's board of directors. The documentation also shows Lee, who is officially the Nets director of minor league basketball operations, is one of two officers and directors for Mikhail Prokhorov's Onexim Sports & Entertainment the entity that owns 45% of the arena and 55% of the team. Irina Pavlova is the other. Lee, whose basketball credentials stretch back to the time when he was the intern on the Dream Team, was the first person Team Prokhorov consulted when discussing the Nets purchase.

• Details from Barclays Center liquor license application - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report