Jack Devine, a retired CIA official and private investigator, writes in his new book, "Good Hunting" about how the NBA had him investigate Mikhail Prokhorov in 2009-10. The vetting included checking whether the Nets prospective owner had ties to the Russian mob.
Devine said his team found none after "extensive research," and informed David Stern of same. Here's the excerpt on the NBA vetting.
"Another client, the National Basketball Association, had occasional overseas issues. A particularly delicate matter involved the review of Mikhail Prokhorov, a Russian billionaire bachelor who had agreed to pay $200 million for an 80 percent share of t New Jersey Nets and a 45 percent stake in the team's new arena in Brooklyn.