In deciding whether to welcome Mr. Prokhorov to their ranks, the owners will have much to consider. Known as the bachelor billionaire, with a penchant for lavish parties, Mr. Prokhorov started out selling jeans in Moscow in the late 1980s and worked his way up from there. Last April, he was pressured by the Russian government into selling his large stake in Norilsk Nickel just before the world financial crisis struck the Russian stock market.

For Mr. Prokhorov, it was a stroke of good fortune. He ended up with a huge amount of cash  the business magazine Finans estimates his worth at $14.9 billion  while some of his fellow tycoons had tremendous losses. Through his company, the Onexim Group, he still maintains an interest in other metals companies, including the Russian aluminum giant UC Rusal.

His interest in basketball appears genuine. He played the sport when he was younger  he is described as being anywhere from 6 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 9 inches in height  and he owns a share of the Russian team CSKA Moscow. In a blog post, he stated that one of the main motivations in pursuing the Nets was to improve the quality and financial health of basketball in Russia.

He said he envisioned a process in which his ownership of the Nets would encourage the use of N.B.A. training techniques in Russia, allow the best young Russian players to attend N.B.A. training camps and also allow for Russian coaches to serve internships in the N.B.A.

All that will probably sound fine to N.B.A. owners, and the most outspoken of the group, Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks, was quick to give Mr. Prokhorov his backing on Wednesday, saying: “I love the idea. It will bring a whole new perspective and, with the dollar struggling, an entree to new financial markets.”

Still, some parts of Mr. Prokhorov’s past may give some owners pause. In January 2007, he was arrested while on vacation at a French ski resort on suspicion he was supplying prostitutes to wealthy friends. He was kept in custody for several days before the charges were dropped, and he has vowed not to do business again in France until he gets an apology.