The New Jersey Nets were expected to be bad, but no one in the Garden State was envisioning this: an 0-17 start to the 2009-10 season and a historic place among the worst of the NBA’s worst teams.

Hours after learning of the firing of their head coach, a depressed (and philosophical) New Jersey Nets team walked into Staples Center in Los Angeles, and made history. Unfortunately for them, it was the ignominious kind.

With their 17th consecutive loss, New Jersey matched the record for most losses to begin a season. It is a mark shared with such forgettable squads as the 1988 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers.

Conventional wisdom said that the Nets’ slide would end on Friday night in Sacramento. The Kings had lost four of their last five heading into the contest, and they were without their leading scorer, shooting guard Kevin Martin. But falling into a 22-point first-half deficit quickly erased any hope of New Jersey putting one in the win column, and a visit to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday sent the Nets to 0-17.

The Star-Ledger breaks it down:

The season is lost, consigned into history as a disaster, yet not without talent and assets. Before long, four more guys will get back from injury, but the new guy will have to rework the rotation and find the chemistry that comes with familiarity.

Polish the résumé. There is virtually no chance that anyone from the coaching staff will return this summer, which is just as well — most of them will be working with Frank, who by then will probably have a better job.

There is a host of candidates for Frank’s old gig, though it’s hard to determine why anyone would ever want to step into that minefield. One man who isn’t afraid, is Patrick Ewing.

It could be worse, ok, I guess it will get worse as the Orlando Magic the team with the best record in the NBA are up next.

ok, one a positive note, the team will have a brand new facility in New York next year and you get the no 1,2 or 3 pick in the draft. Now pray for Tim Tebow (oops! he plays Football)

None the less, these are 2 very good news to look forward to.

The Nets hit the 0-17 Milestone and it’s going to get worse! is a post from: AroDrive

The NBA cheerleaders are some of the hottest of all 4 major leagues and for years my buddies and I at the games spend hours before, during and after the games taking a poll on which of the cheerleaders was the hottest on the floor, so we miss a great deal of the action but, it was a whole lot of fun:-).

So the question is, who is the hottest cheerleader in the NBA?

To select just one we needed to rank them first and we needed some grand rules:

1.We decided to pick 1 cheerleader from each squad.

2. The cheerleader must be on the 2009-2010 cheerleader squad of an NBA team.

Below is a mock ranking of The A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 the final result will be tallied at the end of voting so do remember to cast your vote at the bottom of the page. (remember to vote as many times as you can) Click on Cheerleader’s Thumbnail or Name to see Profile Page

Voting Closed on April 14th, 2010

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For more on the Hottest Cheerleader in the NBA Jessica Marie Sanchez click here

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#10. Christina Iannelli (New Jersey Nets) A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

The New Jersey Nets darling dancer has been mesmerizing stadiums full of basketball fans for the past three years
Anyone who’s been to a major sporting event can recall the thunderous-road of the crowd; that strange almost electric feeling that floats with a frenzy and connects every spectator to one another, only working to make our [...]

#9. Jessica Marie (San Antonio Spurs) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Name: Jessica-Marie (J~Marie)
Hometown: San Antonio Texas
Occupation: A Teacher / Dance Director at a local High School
Team Status: 2nd year
Career Goal: To obtain a Master’s degree in Administration in the next couple of years. I would also love to go into to Fashion Merchandise and own my own boutique. (When I can pull myself [...]

#8. Alicia Erin (Washington Wizards) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

From her Model mayhem page:
Female
21 years old
College Park, Maryland
I just started modeling this year. I also am a pro cheerleader for the NBA, and a dance student at UMD. I have done a few shoots and would like to build up my modeling career, and see how far it takes me.
I cannot do nude pictures [...]

#7. Nicole (Toronto Raptors) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

This is Nicole a Thomhill, Ontario native a second year dancer on the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak.
The Dance Pak team unlike alot of NBA dance squad is packed with very hot dancers and Ms. Nicole exotic looks, perfect body and a face that belongs on the cover of magazines makes her the hottest Dance Pak [...]

#6. Erica (Oklahoma Thunder) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

What’s your occupation? If you’re a student, what’s your major?
I’m an Account Executive at a software engineering company.
Hometown?
Midwest City, OK
Favorite moment as a Thunder Girl?
Experiencing Opening Night of the inaugural year! That is something I will never forget.
What’s something about the Thunder Girls that most people don’t know?
We are all very close. I consider my [...]

#5. Jarin (Indiana Pacers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Jarin has spent three years as a Pacers Girl and heading into her fourth season, she looks great.
She has been stretching in the offseason and will be sure to kick extra high this year. The Pacers playoff hopes might not be up, but the height of Jarin’s leg kicks certainly will be.

#4. Shannon (New Orleans Hornets) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

My heart is abuzz with this girl. Shannon has the southern belle vibe and she can ring my bell anytime.
Chris Paul may lead the league in steals, but Shannon stands a chance to lead the league in stolen hearts.

To start, can you give us a mini-bio of yourself?
I’m from Chalmette, Louisiana. I’ve [...]

#3. Minnie (Memphis Grizzlies) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Well, grrrrrr! Minnie is a wild animal when it comes to cheerleading.
She will scream and kick and dance with the best of them.

Hometown: Memphis
Team status: Veteran – 2nd year
Interesting fact: I play alto saxophone (8yrs)
Favorite musical artists:Musiq, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain
Favorite movies: Five Heart Beats and DreamGirls
Food I can’t live without: white rice w/ [...]

#2. Ashley Bond (Chicago Bulls) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Luvabulls’ Ashley named Miss Illinois USA
For the second year in a row, a member of the Luvabulls has taken the title of Miss Illinois USA. On Dec. 7, Ashley Bond was named Miss Illinois USA and she was presented the honor by last year’s titleholder and Luvabulls teammate, Shanon Lersch. Congratulations to Ashley, who represented [...]

#1. Odaymis (Miami Heat) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Odaymis is a graduate of Florida International University and she has been with the Heat for 2 years.
Heading into her junior year with Miami, she hopes to bring the heat and really turn up the temperature for the crowd in American Airlines Arena this season.

Name: Odaymis
Occupation: Student/Dancer
Quote to live by: “Failure is [...]

A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 (10-1) is a post from: AroDrive

The NBA cheerleaders are some of the hottest of all 4 major leagues and for years my buddies and I at the games spend hours before, during and after the games taking a poll on which of the cheerleaders was the hottest on the floor, so we miss a great deal of the action but, it was a whole lot of fun:-).

So the question is, who is the hottest cheerleader in the NBA?

To select just one we needed to rank them first and we needed some grand rules:

1.We decided to pick 1 cheerleader from each squad.

2. The cheerleader must be on the 2009-2010 cheerleader squad of an NBA team.

Below is a mock ranking of The A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 the final result will be tallied at the end of voting so do remember to cast your vote at the bottom of the page. (remember to vote as many times as you can) Click on Cheerleader’s Thumbnail or Name to see Profile Page

Voting Closed on April 14th, 2010

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For more on the Hottest Cheerleader in the NBA Jessica Marie Sanchez click here

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#20. Leslie (Atlanta Hawks) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Education: BS, Auburn University
Occupation: Executive Administrator/Corporate Events Planner
Dance Experience: A-Town Dancers 4 years, 1 year co-captain of A-Town Dancers, 15 years classical ballet
Why I would like to be a part of the A-Town Dancers: The past 4 years of being on the team has been a blast and I love performing for the [...]

Annie – (Philadelphia 76ers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Thanks to AroDrive user Sixers Fan 7676 we found out that Melanie Fitzpatrick is no longer a member of the Sixers Dance Team. So she’s been removed from the A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 as every contestant must be a member on the 2009-2010 NBA Dance team. [...]

#18. Mary Ellen (Blazer Dancers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Mary Ellen a native of Gresham, Oregon and a veteran of the Blazers Dancers Squad is most definitely the Hottest member of the squad and here at A-List we love her too.
Height: 5’7?
Birthday: January 22
Hometown: Gresham, Oregon
Favorite Style of Dance: Lyrical Jazz
College: Oregon State University
Field of Study: Business Marketing
Occupation: Escrow Coordinator – Mortgage Company
Pets: None
Favorite [...]

#17. Ashley (LA Lakers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

The famous title of, “Laker girl.” Well there is now a better title—Hottest Laker girl!
Ashley will be playing the role of Kobe this season and leading her squad cheering into the postseason.

#16. Kylee (Utah Jazz) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

All-American girl Kylee is going to make the Delta Center rock this season.
She brings a unique flavor to Utah and I like it!

#15. Jessie (LA Clippers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

My name is Jessie, and this is going to be my first season dancing with the Spirit Dance Team. I am from Los Altos, CA, which is up in the Bay Area. I have been dancing since I was two years old and competing at my mom’s dance studio – Dance Academy [...]

#14. Kali Drake (Dallas Mavericks) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

The NBA and Lady Luck don’t agree with my team of choice lately, so I decided it was time to cheer myself up with my favorite section of my own blog. The whole process of looking for photos of lovely ladies is simply relaxing and somewhat zen to me.
I was trying to decide who to [...]

#13. Megan Elizabeth Agrusa (Detroit Pistons ) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Megan Elizabeth Agrusa: we would love to tell you more about this Fox but for now make due with the below info. Stay Tuned.
hails from Grosse Pointe, MI
attends MSU
she’s been a part of Automotion since 2006
Polish / Sicilian descent
Favorite color is hot pink, and as you’ll see in the gallery her hot pink bra looks [...]

#12. Amanda R (New York Knicks) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

KnicksCity Dancer Amanda R. is a KCD co-captain and two-year-veteran. She has run the New York City Marathon and is a cheerleader for the New York Liberty, she is also a Liberty Torch Patrol cheerleader and also a member of the NBA Fan Patrol.
Amanda is a New Jersey girl who says she accomplished two [...]

#11. Toni (Cleveland Cavaliers) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

-  This is Toni’s third year as a member of the Cavalier Girl squad, and her first cover appearance.  The Howland, Ohio native (yeah, I had to look up wher at was too) is a fan of sushi and was an English major.
- …and that’s about all I’ve got.  Again, the Cavaliers have been woefully [...]

A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 (20-11) is a post from: AroDrive

The NBA cheerleaders are some of the hottest of all 4 major leagues and for years my buddies and I at the games spend hours before, during and after the games taking a poll on which of the cheerleaders was the hottest on the floor, so we miss a great deal of the action but, it was a whole lot of fun:-).

So the question is, who is the hottest cheerleader in the NBA?

To select just one we needed to rank them first and we needed some grand rules:

1.We decided to pick 1 cheerleader from each squad.

2. The cheerleader must be on the 2009-2010 cheerleader squad of an NBA team.

Below is a mock ranking of The A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 the final result will be tallied at the end of voting so do remember to cast your vote at the bottom of the page. (remember to vote as many times as you can) Click on Cheerleader’s Thumbnail or Name to see Profile Page

Voting Closed on April 14th, 2010

—————————————————————————————–

For more on the Hottest Cheerleader in the NBA Jessica Marie Sanchez click here

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#30. Emily (Houston Rockets) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Houston is hot and so is Emily!She enjoys cheering for her Rockets and watching them blast other teams. I’m not sure how often that is going to happen this year, but Emily—I’ll still watch!

#29. Ashley Salazar (Charlotte Bobcats) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

An Adrian native’s dream of being a professional dancer for an NBA?dance team became a reality on July 31.
Ashley Salazar, an Adrian High School graduate, was one of 21 dancers selected to become a member of the Charlotte Bobcats’ 2009-10 Lady Cats dance team.
Salazar, 24, who now lives in Charlotte, N.C., was one of about [...]

#28. Deanna Clover (Orlando Magic) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Current

Dance Team Director at Leesburg ThunderCats ABA
Dance Instructor/Choreographer at Performers Edge Dance Studio
Real Estate Assistant at [...]

#27. Toni (Sacramento Kings) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Gina:Dance experience: 13 years jazz, ballet, hip-hop.
One thing people do not know about you: I’m addicted to reality t.v.!
Is this your full-time job: No.
Career goal: I would love to become a psychologist.
Favorite TV show: “Intervention”
Favorite quote: “You had me at hello.” – Jerry Maguire
Hidden Talent: Arts & Crafts. Favorite season: Winter. Favorite color: Yellow. Favorite city in the [...]

#26. Ashley P (Minnesota Timberwolves) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Ashley P is able to stay warm through winter because of her remarkable ability to stay hot!
No snowstorm is going to cool this chick down! Ashley P, you need to come see me.

#25. Teresa (Phoenix Suns) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

The Suns are a classy organization. Teresa is a classy chick—just makes good sense.
She is holding it down for the Suns this season as the team’s leader in hotness.
She also has a great asset at her disposal—I’m not going to tell you what it is, but it rhymes with “class.”

#24. Caty Sue Greene (Denver Nuggets) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Over 125 dancers auditioned, and after a week’s worth of auditions, the 18 women who will make up the 2009-10 Denver Nuggets Dancers roster were named. The dancers who auditioned endured several extremely long days of learning choreography and performing in front of a panel of judges, as well as an evening of interviews.
Caty Sue [...]

#23. Caitlin (Boston Celtics) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Caitlin actually hails from the Midwest and is a tax accountant.
Ironically enough, she enjoys taking short walks in the forest and enjoys well-lit breakfasts.
Caitlin’s has been heard to say her ideal job would be an ice-cream taster. Me too, Caitlin—me too.

#22. Tiffany (Milwaukee Bucks) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

Tiffany not only is the hottest Bucks’ cheerleader, she also happens to be a team Captain.
I am really trying hard to not make any bad “buck” jokes—so I’m just going to stop mid…

#21. Tracy (Golden State Warriors) – A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders

The Warriors are arguably the most exciting team in the league—but that doesn’t really mean much in this countdown.
This will be Tracy’s second season with the Warriors and I think she will be very productive in the Bay Area.
I will believe anything she tells me.

A-List NBA Hottest Cheerleaders 2009-2010 (30-21) is a post from: AroDrive

Many hip-hop lyrics sound like shopping lists for the rich and famous with rappers waxing rhapsodic about their Mercedes-Benz cars, Louis-Vuitton bags or Nike Air Force Ones.

These days, many are hoping for a freebie or loaner from the brands they sing about, but in 1986, when the group Run-DMC penned the song “My Adidas,” it was all about love — for the sneaker. In that one song, Run-DMC, one of the most influential rap groups, laid out a love affair that continues today.

Rappers love sneakers.

And with love being a two-way street, the sneaker makers love the booming sales that the rappers bring in.

Reebok Employs Rapper to Boost Sales

Is it coincidence then that in 2003, hip-hop superstar and business mogul Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to score an endorsement deal for a line of sneakers from an athletic shoe company?

The $13.5 billion athletic shoe industry has moved from the basketball court into the living rooms and nightclubs of America. According to NPD Group, the industry grew by 2.6% in 2003 with the majority of growth in consumers aged 18 to 29. With the release of Reebok’s (nyse: RBK – news – people ) S. Carter by the Rbk line, Jay-Z, whose birth name is Shawn Carter, joined the ranks of sports luminaries like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury to have his own line of sneakers.

The price of such deals has soared since Michael Jordan signed with Nike in 1984 to the tune of $2.5 million over five years.

In 2003, Cleveland Cavalier rookie LeBron James signed a seven-year endorsement deal with Nike worth an estimated $90 million (see: “Slam Dunk”). With prices like these, some athletic shoe companies have changed the way they dole out their endorsement dollars. Fewer athletes are being courted to put their name on a shoe. Instead, athletes are now signed to endorsement deals to promote someone else’s shoe.

Jay-Z’s deal comes at a time when hip-hop is rapidly gaining mainstream cultural acceptance. Since 1993, hip-hop and rap has grown to 13.8% of all music bought in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Todd Krinsky, vice president of the Rbk division of Reebok, says Jay-Z, who has a small stake in the New Jersey Nets NBA team, was signed because he is “an icon in sports and an icon in music” and “has a huge passion for basketball.”

The biggest distinction between deals with athletes versus hip-hop artists is that these deals extend only to the artists’ feet, allowing them to wear other clothing labels — an important distinction as many hip-hop artists have their own fashion lines.

The success of the S. Carter line has led to further endorsement deals with hip-hop stars for Reebok, which needs to improve its image with consumers between the ages of 13 and 29. In this age group, Reebok ranks fourth in consumer dollar spending, behind Nike (nyse: NKE – news – people ), Adidas and New Balance, according to the NPD Group.

And1, an upstart basketball-gear maker with a heavy focus on promoting streetball, has no plans to create a line for a hip-hop star. “We’re about the marriage of hip-hop and basketball,” says Ron Skotarczak, vice president of And1 Entertainment. He sees the moves by Reebok and Nike as “a reaction to the success we have made.” Asked about the connection between hip-hop and basketball, Skotarczak answered with an oft- heard phrase, “rappers want to be ballers and ballers want to be rappers,” meaning sports stars and rappers influence each other in equal amounts.

Each year, the brand organizes a U.S. and European tour of famous streetball players. Tour sponsors have included Pepsi (nyse: PEP – news – people ) divisions Mountain Dew and Lay’s, Nintendo and the Toyota (nyse: TM – news – people ) Scion. Each stop also features a hip-hop artist to further And1′s symbiosis of sport and music.

The multimedia nature of And1 began with a series of videos called The Mix Tapes, a nod to the early days of hip-hop when young emcees would self-release tapes of themselves rapping over instrumentals in hopes of winning a record deal. The brand has expanded their athletics empire with Street Hoops, a video game released by Activision (nasdaq: ATVI – news – people ) in 2002, and a television series on ESPN, a division of The Walt Disney Co. (nyse: DIS – news – people ). The success of these multimedia ventures may even spawn CDs in the near future, bringing the influence of hip-hop in sports full circle with an album of hip-hop inspired by basketball.

If sales continue to buoy Reebok’s venture into non-athlete endorsement deals, expect to see other athletic footwear company’s jump on the trend. Nike has released one shoe from New York City sneaker-customizers, Remix Da Kickz, who have been creating hand-painted custom Nike Air Force One sneakers for rappers like Ludacris, Nelly and Usher. While not a full-fledged endorsement of the trend, perhaps it gives a clue to the future of the athletic shoe industry.

Jay Z, A World of Endorsement Deals is a post from: AroDrive

The Brand

Jay-Z has also established himself as an entrepreneur like his fellow hip hop moguls, and friends, Russell Simmons, Dr. Dre and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who also have business holdings such as record companies and clothing lines. In an interview, he stated that “my brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.”

He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear along with Damon Dash. Rocawear has clothing lines and accessories for men, women and children. The line was taken over by Jay-Z in early 2006 following a falling out with co-founder Damon Dash. In March 2007, Jay-Z sold the rights to the Rocawear brand to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million. Jay-Z will retain his stake in the company and will continue to oversee the marketing, licensing and product development. He also co-owns The 40/40 Club, an upscale sports bar that started in New York City and has since expanded to Atlantic City and Chicago. In 2008, the 40/40 club in Las Vegas was closed down and bought back by the hotel after attendance steadily declined, future plans will see 40/40 Clubs in Tokyo, and Singapore.^[70]

Jay-Z serves as co-brand director for Budweiser Select and collaborates with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development. He provides direction on brand programs and ads that appear on TV, radio, print, and high-profile events. He is a part-owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA team paying a reported $4.5 million for his share. He is interested in relocating the team to Brooklyn. In October 2005, he was reported in English media as considering buying a stake of Arsenal F.C., an English soccer team. He has also invested in a real estate development venture called J Hotels which recently acquired a $66 million mid-block parcel in Chelsea, New York. Jay-Z and his partners are contemplating constructing a high-end hotel or an art gallery building on the newly acquired site which has the potential to go up about twelve stories

In 2003 Jay-Z became the first non-athlete to score an endorsement deal for a line of sneakers from an athletic shoe company?

The $13.5 billion athletic shoe industry has moved from the basketball court into the living rooms and nightclubs of America. According to NPD Group, the industry grew by 2.6% in 2003 with the majority of growth in consumers aged 18 to 29. With the release of Reebok’s (nyse: RBK – news – people ) S. Carter by the Rbk line, Jay-Z, whose birth name is Shawn Carter, joined the ranks of sports luminaries like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Stephon Marbury to have his own line of sneakers. (For more on he’s Endorsements: Jay Z, A World of Endorsement Deals)

The LifeStyle

According to Forbes.com Net worth: $150 million this allows for a fantastic lifeStyle:

Jay-Z’s most public relationship has been with American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, a former member of Destiny’s Child. In 2002, Jay-Z & Beyonce collaborated for the song “Bonnie & Clyde”. Jay-Z also appeared on Knowles’ hit single “Crazy In Love” and as well as “That’s How You Like It” from her debut Dangerously in Love. On her second album, B’Day, he made appearances on the 2006 hits, “Déjà Vu” and “Upgrade U”. In the video for the latter song, she comically imitates his appearance.

The couple generally avoid discussing their relationship. Beyoncé has stated that she believes that not publicly discussing their relationship has helped them. Jay-Z said in a People article, “We don’t play with our relationship. ” They keep a low public profile despite being photographed at New Jersey Nets home games and while on vacation in Cannes in 2007. The pair were listed as a power couple on Time Magazine’s 100′s Most Influential People of 2006.

On April 4, 2008, it was reported by People that Knowles and Jay-Z had been married at a private ceremony in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008, but Knowles did not publicly debut her $5 million Lorraine Schwartz-designed wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City.

Mr Carter is also very proud of he’s ‘very many toys’ that include Private Jet the J Carter, Luxury Cars, Manhattan and Hampton Luxury Houses. Here’s a few:

Jay-Z and Beyonce and the J Carter

jay Z’s Pagani Zonda

jay Z’s Ferrari F430 & Pagani Zonda

Jay Z’s Maybach Exelero

Jay Z’s Luxury Boat

Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles luxurious house in the suburbs of Scarsdale the same place where they got their marriage license. The couple will be moving into the expansive colonial style house, which has been under construction for about 6 months.

The Brand, The LifeStyle: Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is a post from: AroDrive

Mikhail Prokhorov is trying to become the first non-North American owner of an American franchise

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Could the New Jersey Nets become the Nyets?

The basketball team once known as the New Jersey Americans is a step closer to being owned by Russia’s richest man, Mikhail Prokhorov, who on Wednesday said he has a deal to buy 80 percent of the NBA team and nearly half of a project to build a new arena in Brooklyn.

The proposed blockbuster deal would give the Nets’ current principal owner, Bruce Ratner, the needed cash to move forward with the centerpiece of his Atlantic Yards development, which includes plans for retail and residential projects.

It would make Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire and former amateur basketball player, the NBA’s first non-North American owner.

It would mean the Nets really do seem headed to Brooklyn, a New York City borough without a major pro sports franchise since baseball’s Dodgers decamped for Los Angeles in 1957.

And it would be a sign the NBA is serious about building a worldwide identity. Commissioner David Stern immediately praised the deal, saying it will help the NBA expand its reach and would ensure that the Nets, who play in the aging Izod Center in East Rutherford, will have a state-of-the-art arena.

“Interest in basketball and the NBA is growing rapidly on a global basis, and we are especially encouraged by Mr. Prokhorov’s commitment to the Nets and the opportunity it presents to continue the growth of basketball in Russia,” Stern said in a statement.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, too, is ready to welcome Prokhorov to the NBA.

“I love it. I think he will bring fresh ideas and viewpoints, and hopefully this will be the start of a trend towards international investors,” Cuban said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. “Plus, I took Russian in high school, so it will give me a chance to refresh.”

Stern has long touted the NBA’s international reach, proudly boasting that two-thirds of the players on the medals podium at the Beijing Olympics were NBA players. The league plays preseason games in Europe and China, and its All-Star and NBA finals games have been televised in hundreds of countries.

In going global, Stern could be welcoming quite a globetrotter.

Prokhorov, who is 6-foot-6 and was an avid basketball player in his school days, is a fixture in glitzy European resorts and once was held in France for four days of questioning — but never charged — in a prostitution investigation. Even in Russia, he raises eyebrows for his penchant for private jets and a gorgeous entourage. A 2007 TV commercial for a Russian juice company lampooned him, although it did not name him.

Prokhorov’s love of the high life is rivaled by his devotion to basketball. He owns a share of the Russian team CSKA Moscow, and he said on his blog he wants to buy the Nets partly to get access to NBA training methods and help Russian coaches get internships in the league.

Russia has a proud basketball tradition, having won the Euro championship in 2007, and CSKA is a perennial Euroleague power. Yet Andrei Kirilenko, a Utah Jazz forward, is the only Russian currently in the NBA.

It remains to be seen how Prokhorov’s jet-setting lifestyle might play with Nets fans, but the NBA will be far more interested in his finances. Prokhorov has been ranked as his country’s richest man in the Russian edition of Forbes, with an estimated $9.5 billion — even after shrinking by some $7 billion in the world economic crisis.

He weathered the financial storm by cashing out some lucrative assets before the downturn battered commodity markets.

Another rich Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, is the owner of the British soccer power Chelsea. Uzbekistan-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov owns more than 25 percent of another British soccer team, Arsenal.

“In any sport nowadays, if you can bring someone in who is financially stable, it is great for the sport, and I think it will be great for the NBA,” former player and current TV analyst Charles Barkley said. “If he’s going to do some work on the building and not take advantage of the fans, that’s great for the city.”

The franchise started with the ABA in 1967 as the Americans and then the Nets, bouncing around to different arenas in New Jersey and New York before settling in East Rutherford in 1981-82.

It’s not clear how Brooklyn’s sports fans, who have nursed their wounded pride ever since the Dodgers left, might take to a team with foreign ownership.

There’s already been community grumbling over the British bank Barclays buying the naming rights to the arena — and also the rights to name the subway station beneath it.

Brooklyn’s famed Russian enclave of Brighton Beach is only a few miles from the proposed arena, but for many Russian emigrants Prokhorov symbolizes everything wrong in their homeland — a smooth operator who made a fortune when Russia sold off its state industrial treasures for a song.

Nets president Rod Thorn said he expects little reaction about a Russian owner: “I don’t think players really care who owns the team.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who also is president of the NBA players’ association, said the deal “speaks to the fact there’s something that potential ownership groups still see about the NBA that is good because you wouldn’t have anybody — European, Russian, American — buying into an NBA team at this point if they didn’t see something that was a positive for them to get out of the deal.”

Prokhorov’s Onexim Group announced the deal jointly with Forest City Ratner Cos. and Nets Sports and Entertainment. According to the agreement, entities to be formed by Onexim Group will invest $200 million and make funding commitments to acquire 80 percent of the NBA team, 45 percent of the arena project and the right to buy up to 20 percent of the Atlantic Yards Development Co., which will develop the non-arena real estate.

The NBA will review the proposal, and the deal must be approved by three-fourths of its board of governors. Ratner and Prokhorov said they hope to have the sale completed by the first quarter of 2010.

“I have a long-standing passion for basketball and pursuing interests that forward the development of the sport in Russia,” Prokhorov said in a statement. “I look forward to becoming a member of the NBA and working with Bruce and his talented team to bring the Nets to Brooklyn.”

While the proposed deal would give Ratner’s group an infusion of money for the arena project — he faces a December deadline to break ground or lose access to financing from tax-free bonds — there is fervent opposition to the additional 22-acre residential and commercial real estate development. It would create more than a dozen residential and office towers with more than 6,400 apartments built over property that includes a rail yard, warehouses and several blocks of homes and businesses.

Critics include homeowners who say the government is illegally claiming their property and thousands of residents who worry about how the skyscraper project will affect their neighborhoods.

New York’s Court of Appeals is to hear an eminent domain challenge to the project next month.

Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, the project’s leading opponent, accused Ratner of being untrustworthy, noting he had repeatedly said the Nets were not for sale.

“The only reason Ratner would make this deal is because he is in dire financial trouble,” spokesman Daniel Goldstein said. “If Ratner has to go overseas to get major funding for the arena, how on earth is he going to finance the rest of the project?”

Prokhorov, 44, shot to prominence in the chaotic early years of privatization deals that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Onexim bank he headed acquired Norilsk Nickel, one of Russia’s huge but lumbering industrial conglomerates.

Under Prokhorov, Norilsk become more efficient and profitable. He resigned as Norilsk chairman in 2007 and sold his shares for $7.5 billion, but retains substantial interests in other metals companies through Onexim, including shares in gold-miner Polyus and Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum company. Onexim’s other interests include real estate, insurance and energy.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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