Kirilenko to join Prokhorov in NBA

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Published time: May 03, 2012 09:07
Edited time: May 03, 2012 13:07

Russia's biggest basketball star, Andrei Kirilenko, could soon be making a move back to the NBA alongside the league's only Russian team owner.

­Kirilenko is reported to have reached a verbal agreement to sign a three-year deal with Mikhail Prokhorov's Brooklyn Nets.

The CSKA Moscow forward, who's currently preparing for the Euroleague Final Four tournament, has a long-standing relationship with the Nets owner and is expected to join the newly-relocated club at the end of the European season.

Kirilenko, who signed with the Army Men as a free agent during the NBA lockout, decided to play out the season in Russia despite lucrative offers from the US.

The 31-year-old has shot a superb 60 per cent average from the field this year to date, and was named the best defensive player in the Euroleague.

Kirilenko is the most successful Russian basketball player in NBA’s history, having spent ten years with the Utah Jazz and being named among the All-Stars in 2004.