Newark native Shaquille O'Neal and Newark mayor Cory Booker are looking to replace the moving New Jersey Nets with another NBA team to play at the Prudential Center in the future, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The Nets are on track to move to Brooklyn next season, where the team will play in the Barclays Center.
Shaq, Newark Mayor Looking To Replace Nets In New Jersey
Shaquille O’Neal and the mayor of Newark want to bring another team to the city once the New Jersey Nets move to Brooklyn.
Bondy reports that Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow have ripped the temperatures and comfort level of the rather new Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils of the NHL also play. The concern is that the Pru was built primarily for hockey, and in a press release on construction progress at Barclays the Nets pointed out that the new building is built specifically for basketball.
Of course, any number of arenas in the United States and Canada are used for both the NHL and NBA without issue, including New York’s Madison Square Garden, L.A.‘s STAPLES Center and Chicago’s United Center.
The Nets have had continued attendance problems in Newark, just as they did in East Rutherford. Shaq and Booker will have to convince the NBA that a dedicated Newark team can get the community excited. This hasn’t been a great audition for the city.
Shaq has in the past talked about becoming a team owner.
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