NBA board of governors likely to delay vote on Russian businessman taking over New Jersey Nets

NBA likely to delay vote on Nets ownership

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov is probably going to have to wait a little longer before becoming the new owner of the New Jersey Nets.

The NBA announced on Thursday that its board of governors probably won’t vote next week on whether to approve Prokhorov’s proposal to buy the Nets because the state of New York has not taken over all the land seized under eminent domain at the site of the team’s new Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Joel Litvin, the NBA’s president of league and basketball operations, said the background check on Prokhorov and review of the proposed sale have been completed. Litvin said the site possession is the only factor affecting the timing of the vote.

Prokhorov agreed last December to buy 80 percent of the Nets and 45 percent of the new arena from Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Ratner Cos.