PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia 76ers keep pushing to build a new arena in Center City after the proposal was announced in 2022. Since then, they have run into obstacles in building an arena on Market Street, just east of City Hall.
New Jersey has been trying to convince the Sixers to build an arena in Camden this summer, and another nearby state has also signed on.
On Thursday, Delaware Gov. John Carney posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he wants the Sixers to build in Wilmington, which is about 30 miles from Philly.
“Hey @sixers, if you’re looking outside of Philly, let’s build your new arena in Wilmington,” Carney wrote. “We’re all for it. In Delaware you get: A huge Sixers fan base, No sales tax, The best community around. Check out this rendering of the arena. What do we think, Delaware?”
The Sixers’ G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats, play in Wilmington at Chase Fieldhouse.
In July, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed that state leaders had a “serious conversation” with the Sixers about building their proposed new arena, 76 Place, in Camden. The Sixers’ practice facility is already across the Delaware River in the Garden State.
After that announcement was made, the Sixers said they are still committed to building a new arena in Philadelphia.
“We remain focused on bringing a state-of-the-art arena to Philadelphia, as we have done for the past four years,” the Sixers said in a statement in July. “We hope to reach an agreement with the city this summer to ensure legislation is enacted in early September so the 76ers can open our new home in time for the 2031-32 NBA season.”
Following the news out of New Jersey in July, Sixers co-owner David Adelman told Crossing Broad: “Josh [Harris]David [Blitzer] and I’ve said from day one that this is a Philadelphia team, and it’s not moving to New Jersey.”
The Sixers hope to build a new arena at the Wells Fargo Center after their lease expires after the 2030-31 season.
The proposed arena in Market East would be located in a portion of the Fashion District mall, bounded by 10th and 11th streets and Market and Filbert streets, just south of Chinatown.
Chinatown has fiercely resisted the proposed arena, but it has received the support of the NAACP Philadelphia branch and the African American Chamber of Commerce and Black Clergy.
Earlier this year the Philadelphia City Planning Commission said there is still no definitive date for announcing the economic impact of the proposed arena.
