Brooklyn Nets: Jay-Z Announces New Name For NBA Team

Jay-Z announced Monday morning that the Nets will be called the Brooklyn Nets when the team moves from New Jersey to its new home next fall at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The team's official NBA web page has been updated, with a short, simple statement to reflect the change: "Jersey Strong, Brooklyn Ready."

The hip-hop mogul also announced that he'll headline a series of concerts -- as many as eight -- at the arena when it opens, the New York Daily News reports.

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, owns a small stake in the Nets, according to My Fox NY. He grew up in the Marcy Houses, a public housing complex in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.

"This is my foundation," he said in an interview with Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto (available below).

"I'm really giddy right now," he added, clearly excited by the announcement.

The Barclays Center is being built as part of the Atlantic Yards development in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The controversial project was announced in 2004 but has been mired in delays.

@netsbasketball
netsbasketball Jay-Z (@S_C_) announces he'll open @barclayscenter & the official team name will be "Brooklyn Nets" #jayznetshttp://t.co/8TfSA1Kg
Sep 26 via TweetDeckFavoriteRetweetReply

WATCH:

Jay Z: NBA Nets Renamed 'Brooklyn Nets': MyFoxNY.com

Comments

[GeorgeGee]

01:39 AM on 10/16/2011

Actualy, they should have just gone all the way with it. They should have changed the knickname too. The Brooklyn whatevers. Just like when the Browns left Cleveland and became the Baltimore Ravens. If New Jersey wants the Nets back, they can start from scratch. Just like the Cleveland did with their Brownies.

[Stan-Musical]

01:19 AM on 10/03/2011

This franchise was originally the New Jersey Americans, in the 1967-68 season, a charter member of the American Basketball Association.

They moved to Long Island for the 1968-69 season, and changed their name to the New York Nets at that time. They merged into the NBA with three other ABA teams in 1976.

Then they moved back to New Jersey for the 1977-78 season, where they have been, pending the move to Brooklyn in 2012.

They have always been the "other" basketball team in the New York City area. They have been similar to the Chicago White Sox being the other team compared to the Chicago Cubs, or the L.A. Clippers playing second fiddle to the L.A. Lakers. Their luck may change by moving to Brooklyn. We'll see.

[FormerlyTCnSRQ]

12:13 AM on 10/03/2011

wake me when he moves the Dodgers back to Brooklyn.....that would be interesting...or gets a new dome park built for the Tampa Bay Rays.

[Philosopher-king]

11:42 PM on 09/28/2011

Good bye Nets, another burden leaves New Jersey. Beat it!

[FormerlyTCnSRQ]

12:13 AM on 10/03/2011

too much competition for food I hear

[Phemale]

03:46 PM on 09/28/2011

The Brooklyn Beyonces?

[Tater Salad]

12:55 PM on 09/28/2011

The Nets will be to the Knicks what the Clippers are to the Lakers

[babyjupiter24]

05:14 PM on 09/28/2011

The Knicks will never be like the Lakers, but the Nets ARE like the Clippers. And sadly, I'm a Nets fan. The New Jersey Nets that is...

[Tater Salad]

05:17 PM on 09/28/2011

I know that they never will. But the Nets will never be the top dog of the City.

[Tater Salad]

06:13 PM on 09/28/2011

I saw your response to the first post. Trust me, I know all about taking second seat to another team. Being a Mets, Jets and Islanders fan, you treat wins very special. Finally had something to cheer about with my Knicks this past year.

[KarateKid]

08:03 AM on 09/28/2011

They should be like the Angels in baseball, who call themselves the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and call it the New York Nets of Brooklyn.

And what's up with the nicknames? Nets, Mets, Jets, Sets.....I'm waiting for Pets.

[EStreetShuffler]

12:03 AM on 09/28/2011

It seems like some fans like keeping the name and others don't. I guess for Jay-Z, that's just the way the ball beyonces.

[anthonytaurus]

04:52 AM on 09/28/2011

boooooooooooooooooo lol

[EStreetShuffler]

10:11 AM on 09/28/2011

My apologies.

My 17-year-old son groaned, too.

[jagrmeister721]

08:32 PM on 09/27/2011

Wow.  Interesting.  With new owners the Nets can be competitive again; they made it to the finals with J.Kidd- with some draft picks and acquisitions, maybe they can do what the Knicks haven't been able to do for years either- win a championship.

[GeorgeGee]

01:45 AM on 10/16/2011

Maybe Kim K can play PG too?

[Kid Notorious]

03:00 PM on 09/27/2011

They're moving several miles away... Its not like they're moving to Seattle... I think Jay-Z is going to be a great owner and do a lot of good for the team... He's savvy as all get out...

[Quotidien]

02:25 PM on 09/27/2011

That's really a shame to steal the team and their name. Let the NJ fans at least keep the history of their team intact.

Seattle still has rights to the Supersonics. Cleveland kept the Browns until a new team came to replace the team that became the Ravens.

Bad move, Jay Z!

[KarateKid]

08:05 AM on 09/28/2011

How far back do you want to go? The original name of the franchise was New York Nets, with a young superstar, Julius Erving.

So, if anything, New Jersey stole the name. Get your facts straight.

[Quotidien]

08:34 AM on 09/28/2011

LOL... you think you schooled me with some ancient history? Hilarious.

I'm a Philadelphian...I know where we got Doc from. But the name belongs to NJ now.

The Golden State Warriors used to be the Philadelphia Warriors. Since we had the Sixers also, they were allowed to take the name with them.

The Oakland Athletics Baseball team used to be the Philadelphia Athletics. We also had the Phillies, so it wasn't a big deal for them to take the name.

The Cleveland Browns left town to become the Baltimore Ravens, they left the name for the city to keep, and they eventually got a new expansion team which they named the Browns again. They got to keep Jim Brown's legacy intact for their city.

It's a shame that the Baltimore Colts couldn't have stayed with the city. Johnny Unitas never visited or acknowledged that Indianapolis Colts team. Indianapolis could have created another name. I respect the fact that Seattle got to keep their city's NBA team name along with the history.

Got my point now?

Which fact of mine isn't straight? Grumpy Clueless Karate Kid lol

[Stan-Musical]

01:21 AM on 10/03/2011

The original name of the franchise was the New Jersey Americans. They were a charter member of the ABA in 1967. They moved to Long Island a year later, and became the New York Nets at that time. They moved back to New Jersey in 1977 and kept the Nets nickname.

[hemorrhage]

02:20 PM on 09/27/2011

Brooklyn deserves better than inheriting the worst franchise name in major professional sports (the Jazz made sense at one point). I guess I'll have to remain a Knick fan (at least that has the charm of a bygone era). Its like naming a baseball team the "Bases." Almost anything would be better. Cut all ties to New Jersey if you want to be Brooklyn's franchise. The Supersonics became the Thunder and it opened huge marketing opportunities. The Nets are moving 15 miles or so. Perhaps it would have been better to try to change the identity of a moribund (love that word) franchise.

[Quotidien]

02:27 PM on 09/27/2011

It's not the worst franchise name in major profession­al sports. They won the ABA championship with Julius Erving, went to the NBA Finals twice with Jason Kidd.

Some professional sports teams haven't won any playoff games in their history.

[hemorrhage]

02:41 PM on 09/27/2011

Two different issues. The name Nets is silly, in my eyes. The success or failure of the Nets as a franchise is a different matter.

The Supersonics won an NBA title and still changed their name. The Browns won NFL titles and changed their name (and gave up their history, for some reason). MLB is littered with teams that moved and changed names (Pilots-Brewers, Senators-Twins, Senators-Rangers, Expos-Nationals, Browns-Orioles). Changing the name is a good way to try to change identity (hell, look at professional wrestling!). This is a franchise coming to a place that traditionally is the home of Knicks fans. If they want to peel away some of those fans, I think they would be better served by a new identity rather than be seen as the New Jersey franchise that moved.

[hemorrhage]

02:44 PM on 09/27/2011

I am curious though what you would consider worse names. Personally, I also dislike intangible names like Heat or Magic or Jazz, but those do make some sense for where those franchises play (or played, in the case of the Jazz).

[bigdawg1980]

01:47 PM on 09/27/2011

Why not the Dodgers?

[hemorrhage]

02:23 PM on 09/27/2011

My guess is the LA franchise owns the rights to that name (its not something common, like Tigers or Bears) and, I think, it would have kicked fresh dirt into the still open wounds of older Brooklynites. Hey, how about Brooklyn Knights? The spelling alone would have been a poke in the eye of the Knicks franchise, which this team seems intent on. Something about the Knicks vs. the Knights has a ring to it...

[WendellPerrySociety]

01:42 PM on 09/27/2011

"I'm really giddy right now"

....and he's supposed to be a haardcore rappper....always knew this boy was soft as rainwater.

[Marvelle]

01:01 PM on 09/27/2011

"Nets" is D-U-M-B. Would have been better picking something historical to Brooklyn. This is a weak attempt to hold onto their Jersey fans.