On Tuesday night the Brooklyn Nets celebrated an "Evening of Russian Culture" when they played at home against the Orlando Magic. NetsDaily was hand to cover the game, but we also teamed up with Daily Beat to send a photographer to capture some of the scenes from inside the Barclays Center. The arena is becoming a nexus of basketball and celebrity (and unlike Madison Square Garden, Barclays doesn't require quid pro quos from the stars who show up.)
The evening featured the US national anthem sung by Mikhail Svetlov of the Metropolitan Opera, a selection of Russian violin pieces by Alex Markov, as well as scoreboard exhortations to chant “Zasheeta!” instead of "Defense." Player introductions were in Russian. Sitting courtside were Masha Kirilenko, Andrei's wife, and Irina Pavlova, president of ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, the Russian ownership group.
All photographs were taken by Alex Paz. Click for more!