To say that the implications of Russian president Vladimir Putin's all-out war against Ukraine are immense would be an understatement. It would be foolish to think that this terrifying dispute between two European nations thousands of miles away would have no major implications on the United States, or on the rest of the world for that matter.

As it turns out, even the NBA has been affected by Putin's all-encompassing reach. We're not even talking about the present day — the implications of this war on the league remain to be seen. Apparently, the Russian commander-in-chief also had a major hand in the $3.3 billion sale of the Brooklyn Nets franchise back in 2019.

According to John Kosman and Brian Lewis of the New York Post, there is some belief that Putin forced the hand of Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov to sell his stake in the franchise some three years ago:

But as tensions between the US and Russia over Crimea grew, Putin in 2016 also began pressuring Prokhorov to sell the Nets, according to sources. That’s because Putin, especially during times of political turmoil, will test the loyalty of oligarchs with assets in the West to show they won’t get too close to the US or Europe, according to one source close to the situation.

Prokhorov, a metals tycoon who is estimated to be worth $11.8 billion, remains to be one of the richest individuals in the entire world. The 56-year-old has a lot of assets in Russia and given his relationship with Putin, it would not be outlandish to think that the Russian President would demand Prokhorov's public support in this current war against Ukraine.

“Putin strongly suggested he sell the Nets,” the source said. And if Prokhorov refused, he risked losing his considerable assets in Russia.

“You couldn’t be pro-Russian and own an NBA team,” another source who knows Prokhorov said.

Prokhorov sold the Nets franchise to Chinese billionaire Joe Tsai in September of 2019 for the amount of $2.35 billion, which remains to be the current record for the largest amount ever paid for any sports team. Tsai also purchased the Barclays Center from Prokhorov for an additional $1 billion.

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Prokhorov's camp has already released a statement about this rumor and they are denying Putin's role in the 2019 sale:

“Mikhail had said for years before Joe Tsai appeared that he was open for discussion about the Nets. He was not pressured by anyone to sell, unless you mean the ‘pressure’ of the attractive offer he received for the team and the arena at the time.”

For their part, the NBA was reportedly “relieved” once Prohorov was out of the picture specifically because of the political implications on Russian oligarchs. The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, have refused to comment on this case.

Today, the Nets are one of the biggest sports franchises in all of sports. Joe Tsai has done a remarkable job since taking over the helm and they've created a superteam that intends to make its mark on league history. Right now, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of this powerhouse team have emerged as one of the favorites to win it all this year.

It's just perplexing to think that if the Nets actually win the title, then one could almost say that Vladimir Putin had a hand in the narrative.