New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov spends two hours a day in the gym, running on a treadmill and lifting weights. But working out is not the only thing that gives the Russian billionaire strength. To make such superhuman amounts of money — at 44, he is worth $17.8 billion — Prokhorov, like Popeye with spinach or Superman with the sun, requires nourishment of another kind, a Bloomberg Markets magazine profile of the man reveals.
He consumes toxic assets, for one, he admits:
“I like to find cheap assets with problems. It gives me power.”
And there’s something else.
Prokhorov also has a fondness for Russian models. Late one Friday night in December, he hits Soho Rooms, a Moscow nightclub where he takes over a balcony section with male friends and a random collection of long-haired, slim women — some models, some students — wearing high heels and dressed mostly in black. He buys drinks for the group while sticking to mineral water himself. He jokes with some of the women, his hand lightly resting on their waists, before sitting down to watch a bevy of women dancing in white corsets, panties and Cossack-style white fur hats. “That’s where the energy is,” he says, pointing at the women.
Last night’s 60 Minutes showed exactly how Prokhorov obtained such energy for himself: by doing a frightening, life-force-sucking shuffle dance. It’s about one-third of the way through, below. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
The Russian Is Coming [CBS]
Why Two-Meter Billionaire Says He’s Only NBA Owner Who Can Dunk [Bloomberg]
Related: The Miracle Nets [NYM]
