it's been a tough year or so for the Russians who own the Nets, what with all the losses, on the court and in the balance sheets. Not to mention the bad press and the bad relations between Russia and the U.S. over Ukraine. Ugh.
But they haven't lost their sense of humor, or it seems, their love of the team that's costing them a not insignificant measure of their treasure.
Sergey Kushchenko is an old friend of Mikhail Prokhorov's, the president of CSKA Moscow when they won two Euroleague titles and countless Russian league titles. He also ran the Olympic gold medal-winning Russian biathlon team for Prokhorov and on the occasion of his 50th birthday, Prokhorov gave him a seat on the Nets board of directors. So when Prokhorov turned 50 last month, Kushchenko, a one-time DJ, had to come up with something as unique. And he did.
It was a video tribute to Prokhorov's ownership of the Nets, dubbing over Frank Sinatra's famous "Brooklyn Bridge." NetsDaily has obtained a copy. It hits all the right notes, inter-cutting the black-and-while footage from "It Happened in Brooklyn" with video and stills of the Barclays Center and Nets games. And it couldn't be complete without a shot at a certain rival owner and his hapless team. (Note whose shot Kushchenko uses to exemplify the Knicks incompetence. Telling.)
And no, we cannot reveal our sources. But we are oh, so very grateful.
- Prokhorov tribute pokes fun at Knicks - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York