Sixers Announce Plans for New Arena, WNBA Bid Day After Center City Arena Plans Nixed

The Sixers will stay in South Philly.
Wells Fargo Center has been open since 1996
Wells Fargo Center has been open since 1996 / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers abandoned plans that would have brought a brand new arena to Center City in favor of a new deal with Comcast Spectator to keep the team's games in South Philadelphia.

The move was praised by a building trade representative but slammed by a city councilman, Jim Harrity, who said the move left him and the city's citizens, "bamboozled."

Monday, the Sixers revealed more about the agreement, which includes a 50-50 joint venture to build a new, "world-class, state-of-the-art arena in the South Philadelphia Spots Complex that will be the new home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers," in a press release.

It is expected to open in 2031, but the press release left the door ajar for an earlier opening.

Additionally, Comcast is taking a minority stake in the Sixers and is helping with a bid to bring a WNBA team to Philadelphia.

Currently, the Sixers and Flyers share a residence at Wells Fargo Center, located in the sports complex in South Philly adjacent to the homes of the Eagles and Phillies. Since the Flyers are owned by Comcast, the relationship between the Sixers and the arena has often felt contentious over the years.

The press release also discussed plans to revitalize the Market East neighborhood where the original plans for a new arena were considered.

Wells Fargo Center will be demolished after the new arena is completed, according to local reports.


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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.