'This Is The Ultimate Troll': Nets.com Owners Finally Come Forward

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One of the strangest mysteries in the NBA has been solved.

The owners of Nets.com have finally come out of the woodwork to the New York Times. And -- sorry, conspiracy theorists -- they have no affiliation with any of the Brooklyn Nets' rivals.

Well, maybe at this point, Jane Hill and her son, John Hill, could be considered their adversaries. The family from New Mexico has been responsible for a number of headlines since the team's relocation from New Jersey, redirecting unknowing visitors all over the map, from former coach Jason Kidd's personal website to the New York Knicks' All-Star ballot.

"The one compliment I take to heart is when people say, 'This is the ultimate troll,' " John Hill told the Times. "There's some joy in that."

Jane Hill, who owns a telecom company in Santa Fe, said they've "had fun with the mystery of it all." But that's not their sole motivation. The Hills are also looking for a payday of $5 million, according to the Times.

"Our website is BrooklynNets.com, and our fans know this is our site," Nets spokesperson Barry Baum told the newspaper. "Brooklyn Nets is our brand, and we have no interest in Nets.com, despite the shameful efforts of the registrant to attempt to sell us this domain name for seven figures."

Nets.com currently redirects to an eBay auction for the domain name. The high bid as of Wednesday morning was $90,760, not enough to meet the undisclosed minimum price.

"Are you one of the major players on the planet in the routing and/or networking equipment business?" the eBay description reads. "Maybe you are the proprietor of the world's preeminent manufacturer of tennis court nets? Fishnets? Volleyball nets? Goalpost nets? Do you have a great idea for the next big social networking site and need a great domain name to bring it all together? Or, maybe you just happen to have a basketball team of the same name?"

The 69-year-old Jane Hill purchased Nets.com for $20,000 in 1996, according to the Times. Previous reports said the domain was sold to its once-unknown owners in 1994.

Hill, who according to the Times once sold Roadrunner.com to Time Warner Cable, insisted she and her son have been "determined not to be malicious in any way" with their ongoing online hijinks.

"(B)ut we did want to get a little bit of attention," Hill said.

Mission accomplished.

Whether they get seven figures remains to be seen.

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