Sixers in Delaware? The governor invites the team to build a new arena in Wilmington

Delaware Gov. John Carney says he wants the Sixers to move to Wilmington, tweeting an illustration that shows a riverside arena site and declaring, “We’re all in.”

A spokesperson for the governor said Friday: “He is serious.”

Ashley Dawson quoted Carney as saying, “We think there are a ton of advantages to building the new Sixers arena in Wilmington — and we’ll do whatever it takes to get it done.”

The Sixers’ efforts to erect a $1.55 billion arena and housing tower in downtown Philadelphia, announced two years ago, still await local-government approval. Last month New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Garden State officials were talking to the team about moving to Camden, where the Sixers have a practice facility.

Efforts to reach the Sixers for comment were unsuccessful on Friday.

Carney’s Thursday evening tweet was direct: “Hey Sixers, if you’re looking outside of Philly, let’s build your new arena in Wilmington.”

The governor said Delaware has a huge Sixers fan base, no sales tax, and a great community.

The governor’s tweet asked, “What do we think, Delaware?”

More than 300 people responded. Many said no, a few said yes, and lots denigrated the idea. “Why would they want to move to Delaware where in the city of Philadelphia we have more people than you have in your entire state,” one person answered.

Carney, a Democrat, is in his second and final term as governor. He’s running to become mayor of Wilmington.

His tweet located a new Sixers arena on the Christina River, a tributary of the Delaware, set not far from development that includes a movie theater, a convention center, and a ballpark that’s the home of the minor-league Wilmington Blue Rocks. All those properties are easily accessible from I-95 and an easy walk from Amtrak and SEPTA train lines.

Wilmington is 30 miles from Center City Philadelphia, roughly a 40-minute drive, depending on traffic.

Delaware is among the smallest states in the Union, home to about 1 million people, with about 71,000 living in Wilmington, the largest city. Philadelphia’s population is about 1.5 million.

Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware, according to state officials, drawn by its business-friendly laws and climate.

The state does not have a team in any of the four major professional sports leagues. Beside the Blue Rocks, an affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, the state and city host the Delaware Blue Coats, an NBA G League affiliate of the Sixers.

The Sixers intend to open their own Philadelphia arena at 10th and Market Streets when their lease expires at the Wells Fargo Center in 2031, building atop Jefferson Station on the western third of the Fashion District mall. The earliest that City Council could take up a package of arena-enabling legislation would be September, when members return from summer recess.

Lots of NBA teams have relocated to other cities, and many places want teams now, with Seattle, Nashville, and Vancouver often mentioned as expansion sites. Las Vegas is trying to build an arena to lure a franchise.

The Sixers have said from the start that they’re not leaving Philadelphia. But in July the business news website ROI-NJ reported that New Jersey officials are pushing Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the team, to move to an arena that would be built in Camden.

“We’ve been observing the lack of progress in Philadelphia, and we said, ‘You know what, we’re going to raise this with them,’” Gov. Phil Murphy told 6abc’s Action News. “And we’re serious about it, and they seem to be serious about it.”

Sixers-to-Camden scenarios have surfaced every so often since at least 1989. Asked about a possible move to Camden, the Sixers said in a statement that “we remain focused on bringing a state-of-the-art arena to Philadelphia.”

Inquirer staff writer Joseph N. DiStefano contributed to this article.