The Philadelphia 76ers are committed to getting a new arena. They might have to cross the state line to get it.
The governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, sent the 76ers ownership group a letter Tuesday, offering the ownership group land and $400M in tax credits to build a an arena in Camden. The site, which used to host a prison, is across the Delaware River from Philly, near where the Ben Franklin Bridge connects Camden to Center City.
That’s not far from where the 76ers have their team practice facility. New Jersey’s plan, like most recently proposed sports facilities, calls for additional development on the site for retail, commercial and residential properties. The Sixers said in a statement that the team would “take all potential options seriously,” as it looks for a new home for when its lease at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia ends in 2031.
“The reality is we are running out of time to reach an agreement that will allow the 76ers to open our new home in time for the 2031-32 NBA season,” a 76ers spokesman said in an email.
Would the 76ers really consider switching states, even if they’d be moving less than 10 miles away? Possibly, but the offer does come after the Sixers’ original plan to build a new arena and housing tower in Center City has run into opposition. Neighbors in adjacent Chinatown have opposed the planned project, with an anti-arena protest march scheduled for Saturday.
In addition, impact reports commissioned by the city claim that while one in five business in Chinatown would likely benefit from the new development, while half would be hurt. These studies, paid for by the 76ers, also reported the new arena would bring in $390M in new tax revenue, which is over a billion dollars less than the team’s claim of $1.5B in new tax money.
But states battling over sports teams arenas is nothing new. The Washington Wizards are attempting a move from Washington D.C. to Virginia to get over a billion dollars in state subsidies.
New Jersey lost its own team, the Nets, to the adjacent state of New York in 2012. But one state where the Sixers aren’t likely to move is neighboring Delaware.
When Governor John Carney posted on X inviting the Sixers to build an arena in Wilmington, Delaware, the Sixers didn’t bother to reply. They may desperately want a new arena, but not badly enough to move to Delaware.
