Not all Russian oligarchs are created equal.
Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian oligarch who owns the Brooklyn Nets, doesn’t have to worry about sanctions ordered by President Obama last week on “individuals and entities responsible for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, or for stealing the assets of the Ukrainian people.”
“There is no reason to believe that Mikhail would be on such a list,” a source in Moscow told me. “He is not a government official or a member of the military. Moreover, Mikhail has no significant business in Ukraine.”
Prokhorov, who is worth $10.9 billion, will not face travel restrictions, and will be able to see his team compete in the playoffs, this source said.
But Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region has put Prokhorov, a candidate to succeed President Vladimir Putin in 2018, in a delicate situation.
As one NBA insider told me, “He’s in a box. He’s an oligarch. He’s a friend of Putin. He can’t criticize Putin, but he also can’t criticize Obama.”