Last week, ROI-NJ reported that the state of New Jersey is “making a serious push” to convince the 76ers to relocate to New Jersey and into a new arena in Camden. The report noted that New Jersey government officials began their pursuit of the NBA franchise in part due to the Sixers ownership hitting “repeated roadblocks” in their efforts to build a new arena in Philadelphia.
On Monday, New Jersey governor Phil Murphy confirmed that talks of the Sixers coming to his state are “real” and not just rumors. Murphy cited New Jersey’s strong relationship with Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE) — the group that owns the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia 76ers and a practice facility in Camden — as an icebreaker in the talks.
“It’s real in the sense there’s a serious conversation,” Murphy told reporters, via NJ.com. “We’ve been observing the lack of progress in Philadelphia, and we said: You know what? We’re gonna raise this with them. And we’re serious about it. They appear to be serious about it. We’ll see. You never know where these things land.”