New Jersey Has More Competition To Land Sixers New Arena

Two years have passed since the Philadelphia 76ers first announced plans to build a new arena complex in Center City.  But no progress has been made by Philadelphia to give the "green light" for those development plans to proceed forward.

The Sixers' current lease with the Xfinity Owned Arena in the Philadelphia Sports Complex expires after 2031. The building currently known as the Wells Fargo Center, has been the home for 76ers games since 1996.

The development plan for 76 Place is a multi-purpose complex that would be located in the Center City Fashion District. Similar to the Brooklyn Nets arena the Barclay's Center, the 76ers want a complex that is also a business hub and not just a place for Basketball games.

What Are The Issues Standing In The 76ers' Way?

The 76ers still have no clarity on their future arena because the City of Philadelphia has been non-committal about the Sixers' proposed development plan.  According to reports, the Mayor of Philadelphia Cherelle Parker, and the public-private development agency, PIDC have not finished studying the economic and community impacts of 76 Place.

Many Chinatown Businesses and community members of the Fashion District are opposed to the 76ers development plans. But the Black Clergy of Philadelphia supports the 76ers' new arena proposal for Center City.

With the numerous delays for the Sixers' proposed arena, there are other communities trying to slide in and get the 76ers to leave the City of Philadelphia. In July, reports revealed that there have been discussions between the Sixers ownership group and New Jersey state officials.

The Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment owns the New Jersey Devils organization along with the Philadelphia 76ers. There is a professional history with New Jersey's current Governor Phil Murphy (who used to work at Goldman Sachs) and the HSBE group.

The 76ers' Practice Facility and Team offices are in Camden, so it would not be a far-fetched idea to build a new arena in the same city where the organization already has a footprint. While the Sixers would no longer play in the City of Philadelphia, there are many sports organizations whose home areas are not located in their location name:

-The New York Giants and New York Jets play their home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That area of northern New Jersey is a part of the New York-Metro Area
-The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play their games almost 40 miles away from the City of Los Angeles
-The Dallas Cowboys play their games in Arlington, Texas which is in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex

Who Else is Competing With Philadelphia and New Jersey for the 76ers' New Arena?

The 76ers organization says they are still committed to their 76 Place development plans in Center City Philadelphia. But the reality is that the lack of progress and support for their new arena is opening the door for others to lure the Sixers away from Philadelphia.

Delaware Governor John Carney put on the social media platform X his proposal for the 76ers to leave Philadelphia. His idea is for the 76ers to build their new arena in Wilmington.

The Sixers G-League Affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, play their games at the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. Governor Carney's proposal, similar the the Camden idea, is that the 76ers already have a footprint in Wilmington.

The downside of building the Sixers' new area in Wilmington is that the city is almost 30 miles away from Philadelphia. The value of putting the new 76ers arena in Camden is the city is right across the bridge from Philadelphia and a much shorter travel for Sixers fans in the city.

The Delaware Governor's proposal and New Jersey's Camden idea are similar to how the state of Kansas is trying to lure the Kansas City Chiefs to leave the state of Missouri. The Chiefs currently play their games in Arrowhead Stadium, located in Kansas City, Missouri.

But the Chiefs' plans to build a new stadium have hit numerous roadblocks in Missouri. In response, the state of Kansas has already passed infrastructure approvals and tax breaks to give the Chiefs good reasons to cross the state border.

The 76ers have played their games in Philadelphia for over 70 years.  Before joining the Flyers at "The Center", the Sixers played their games at The Spectrum.  Here are some of the famous events at the legendary sports arena: