76ers arena proposal: NJ renews pressure for Sixers to cross river with Camden site tour
CAMDEN, N.J. - New Jersey’s governor has not given up on his dream of luring the Philadelphia 76ers to Camden as word emerged of Phil Murphy leading a tour of the proposed site Tuesday.
It was a short tour of Camden’s waterfront with potentially big implications as New Jersey’s governor pressures the Sixers’ David Adelman to build 76er Place in Camden.
County Commissioner Jeff Nash was on the tour Tuesday afternoon around three, along with Governor Phil Murphy, his wife Tammy, the mayor of Camden, state economic and transportation officials and Adelman, the face of the Sixers’ efforts to build a new arena.
Jeffrey Nash told FOX 29’s Jeff Cole, "The feel was very open and positive. I think everyone was very impressed by how open and available the waterfront property would be."
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As first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the tour comes as Mayor Cherelle Parker tosses her support behind the team’s controversial plan to pay for and build a $1.5 billion,18,000 seat arena in Philly’s Market East neighborhood, on the edge of Chinatown.
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In a statement, a Sixers spokesperson wrote the team is focused on Market East but are "…approaching critical deadlines to deliver a new arena by the start of the 2031-32 NBA season. As such we must ensure suitable options for our franchise moving forward."
Opponents of the Market East site say the Camden tour is a ploy. Vivian Chang is a member of Asian Americans United. She said, "We see it as just another page out of their playbook to try to pressure the city, embarrass our elected officials, to give them what they want. It’s the same playbook every city, every team."
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Mayor Parker, who has dropped her shoulder behind the push to build in Market East, said in a statement she "Will not be discouraged" by the tour as New Jersey keeps on playing.
Jeffrey Nash said, "We don’t view this as us versus them. We view it as the Delaware Valley. Our job is to promote Camden, and this is what we have to offer."