The owner of the Brooklyn-bound Nets bought the $1-billion Barclays Center — but he won’t pony up for a new home in the borough!
Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov promised that the team’s under-construction Prospect Heights home — which is slated to open with a Jay-Z concert on Sept. 28 — would be the world’s greatest arena during a tour of the Atlantic Avenue facility on Tuesday.
But the 6-foot-8 basketball aficionado, who made his fortune in mining, said he won’t buy a house in posh nearby neighborhoods like Park Slope or Fort Greene to shorten his commute when he flies in from Moscow for Brooklyn Nets home games this fall.
“I’m a rich Russian who would drive up the prices,” Prokhorov said. “It’s not the best time to buy for me.”
The self-made mogul is the 58th wealthiest person in the world with holdings of $13.2 billion, according to Forbes Magazine.
Prokhorov’s Onexim Group purchased 80 percent of the Nets for $200 million in 2009.
Reach reporter Daniel Bush at [email protected] or by calling (718) 260-8310. Follow him at twitter.com/dan_bush.
