The New Jersey Nets, who will move to Brooklyn next season, played their final game in the Garden State on Monday night. The game was sold out, but the state's governor wasn't among those in attendance.
New Jersey Gov. Christie To Nets: ‘Good Riddance, See You Later’
“I’m not going to the Nets game tonight, and my message to the Nets is ‘goodbye,’” said Gov. Chris Christie earlier Monday. “You don’t want to stay, we don’t want you.”
Video of Christie’s full comments is below.
“I mean, seriously, I’m not going to be in the business of begging people to stay here,” he added. “That’s one of the most beautiful arenas in America they had a chance to play in, it’s in one of the country’s most vibrant cities. And they want to leave here and go to Brooklyn? Good riddance, see you later.”
While Christie’s description of the Prudential Center and the city of Newark may sound a tad generous, perhaps it’s because he’s already looking to replace the Nets.
“I think there will be some other NBA teams who may be looking to relocate,” he said. “They look at that arena and look at the fanbase here in the New Jersey/New York area and say, ‘This is an opportunity for us perhaps to increase our fanbase and try something different.’
“There will be no tears shed on my part tonight. They go, they go. That decision was made a long time ago, and if they want to go to Brooklyn, have at it. No problem from my perspective.”
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