Shapiro ‘confident’ 76ers arena will remain in Philadelphia • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Despite news reports that New Jersey is trying to woo the 76ers to build a new arena in Camden, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday said he’s confident the team will remain in Philadelphia.

“The mayor is the lead on this, together with city council. We’re in direct communication with her office,” Shapiro told reporters after a ceremonial bill signing at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School in Bucks County Tuesday. “And I’m confident that the mayor will bring this to a conclusion that works for her, for council, for the city of Philadelphia and that keeps the Sixers here in the city.”

First reported by ROI-NJ, New Jersey officials sent a written proposal to the team for a multibillion-dollar arena project on state-owned land in Camden. The proposal would be financed by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the entity that owns the Sixers, and has the support of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and other leaders in the Garden State’s General Assembly, according to ROI-NJ. The news was confirmed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which obtained a copy of the letter, signed by Murphy and other New Jersey officials. 

The report states the New Jersey project would be eligible for “hundreds of millions of dollars in tax incentives,” since it would include an arena and “commercial, residential and retail offerings.”

The 76ers have played at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia since 1996, but the organization is looking to build its next arena in the city’s Market East section next to Chinatown, when its lease is up at the end of the 2030-31 season.

Shapiro cited the 76ers’ previously announced plans as evidence the team wants to remain in Philadelphia, but said he didn’t want to “get ahead of the mayor or council” on the best course forward.

“To show you just how much the ownership group of the Sixers wants to be in Philadelphia, they plan to invest their own money in building this arena,” Shapiro said in response to a question from the Capital-Star. “They’ve not asked, nor have I offered any state funding for their arena, nor will I, and I believe that Philadelphia is the exact right place for the Sixers to remain, and it’s clear that that is what they want, and I know that the mayor is working toward meeting that goal and keeping the Sixers here and healthy for a long time.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker did not respond to a request for comment from the Capital-Star and Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson was unavailable for comment on Tuesday. 

During Parker’s campaign, she said she was open to the 76ers building the arena at Market East, although she didn’t go as far as endorsing it without seeing the details.

Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district for the proposed arena at Market East in Philadelphia, has discussed potential economic impacts for the area, but has not specifically endorsed the arena being built there yet. His office told the Capital-Star that he believes Philadelphia is still the 76ers first choice for their next arena. 

“CM Squilla would like the Sixers to remain in Philadelphia,” Anne Kelly King, Squilla’s chief of staff said in an emailed statement. “He understands that NJ and DE offered them opportunities to build an arena in those states and they have every right to explore all their options.”

Not everyone in Philadelphia is excited about the team’s stated plans for its new arena, however.  Some residents in nearby Chinatown say the new arena would have a negative impact on their neighborhood.

On Aug. 26, the city of Philadelphia released studies of a 76ers arena being built at Market East, which found that there could be some negative impacts on the city. 

A spokesperson for the 76ers told ROI-NJ on Tuesday that it is taking “all potential options seriously, including this one,” in response to the proposal to build an arena in Camden.

The Save Chinatown Coalition, which opposes the 76ers’ proposal for a new arena at Market East, released a statement following the report about the Camden proposal, claiming that the team has “stepped up their veiled threats to leave Philadelphia.”

State Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) criticized the New Jersey proposal Tuesday. 

“There are few economic strategies more bankrupt and roundly disparaged in urban development than tax giveaways to greedy sports team owners,” Saval said in an email to the Capital-Star. “This tactic is a notorious, tired form of economic and political blackmail, and I reject it in the strongest possible terms.”

In 2016, the 76ers built a practice facility in Camden, New Jersey, due in part to tax breaks New Jersey offered. Philadelphia City Council would need to approve legislation for a new arena to be built.

“I love the Sixers, they belong in Philadelphia,” Shapiro said. “So I recognize Jersey may want to try and entice them to move across the river, but the Sixers shouldn’t go anywhere, and we’ll leave it to the mayor and council to comment on their process further.”