Mikhail Prokhorov: The Russian Is Coming

By: CBSNews

It's safe to say that there aren't NBA owners with stories like that one, and Prokhorov's life in the opaque world of Russian business presented a unique challenge for the National Basketball Association, which is charged with investigating the personal and business background of prospective NBA owners.

But Commissioner David Stern said Prokhorov passed all the tests.

Asked if he thinks Prokhorov is a man of character, Stern told Kroft, "I think he's a man who has passed a very tight security check and nobody has come up with any reason why he shouldn't be an NBA owner."

Stern believes Prokhorov to be a shrewd businessman, although we found him to be a bit unorthodox.

For one, he doesn't use a computer. "We have too much information and it's really impossible to filter it," he told Kroft.

He believes his biggest strengths are organization and leading people.

"Any abilities you wish you had that you don't have?" Kroft asked.

"Sometimes maybe to be less tall," he joked.

"To be less tall?" Kroft asked. "Well, you're about to enter a world of very tall people with the NBA. You're gonna actually be pretty short."

"Compared with the players, yes. But compared with the common people, I am tall enough, trust me," he replied.

Prokhorov has been brushing up on his English and his jump shot. If everything goes according to plan, two years from now he will move the nets to a brand-new arena in Brooklyn, home to the largest Russian-American community in the U.S.

And who knows: he may even find that perfect woman he has been looking for.

"And I'm real excited to take the worst team of the league and turn it to be the best," he told Kroft.

Asked if he thinks he can do that, Prokhorov said, "I'm confident. Do you remember in the Frank Sinatra song, New York, New York, 'If I can make it there I can make it anywhere.'"

Produced by Robert Anderson