The NBA has granted its approval for a change in arenas for the Detroit Pistons, allowing the club to proceed with its move to Little Caesars Arena.
During a vote taken late on Wednesday, the NBA Board of Governors gave unanimous approval for the Pistons’ plan to move to Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons have been planning to play at Little Caesars Arena starting with the 2017-18 season, and will join the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings at the new venue.
With the vote, the Pistons can move forward with their plans to move into the Little Caesars Arena in time for their first games this fall. More from The Detroit Free Press:
A simple majority of the 30 owners who make up the board was required. The team now will continue its preparations to move into Little Caesars Arena in time for the early Oct. 4 exhibition season home opener. The home opener comes later in October.
“I think for me, I keep it simple,” Pistons point guard Ish Smith said last week when asked his excitement level. “I think for the fans, that’s what I’m more excited for. Everybody’s really, really excited about us coming downtown. This is a crazy buzz. We got to do our job and give 110%.”
The move is a result of more than a year of negotiations between Pistons owner Tom Gores’ Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Ilitch family’s Olympia Entertainment organizations.
The debut of Little Caesars Arena will be highly anticipated for a number of reasons. Along with providing a new arena for both the NHL and NBA, the venue will also allow the Pistons to move to downtown Detroit after playing at The Palace of Auburn Hills since 1988.
For the NBA, this will mark the second consecutive season in which there is a new arena opening. Little Caesars Arena will debut one year after the Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center. That trend will continue for the next few seasons, with the Milwaukee Bucks planning to debut a new arena in 2018 and the Golden State Warriors expected to open San Francisco’s Chase Center in 2019.
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