Mikhail Prokhorov: Nets Owner Makes Bold Move to Run for Russian Presidency

Mikhail Prokhorov, Russian billionaire and owner of the New Jersey Nets, has decided to stand up to Vladimir Putin and run for president in his home country.

Prokhorov has been gaining popularity worldwide in recent years after he bought the Nets and has been making an effort to turn them into a global franchise by traveling around the world promoting them and dealing for marquee players.

Now he is going to try and become the leader of the ninth most populated country in the world and is showing that he has aspirations beyond metals and banking (the things he made his fortune on) and larger than even owning a team in the NBA.

According to the Associated Press, Russian people are unhappy with the current government and have been protesting against Putin’s rule in numbers unseen since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Prokhorov wants to champion the swelling middle class in the country and form a new liberal party with the help of grassroots activists.

In order to make a run at Putin in the March elections, Prokhorov must garner two million signatures from citizens and navigate other technicalities that have disqualified opponents who wished to challenge the incumbent party for years now.

It’s a good time for him to make a move, as Putin’s party only won 50 percent of the vote in the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections, a 14 percent drop from their total four years ago.

Even if the campaign doesn’t succeed, Prokhorov is hoping that a new party springs up from the attempt and competes in future elections for years to come.