Owner of the Wizards in the NBA and the Capitals in the NHL, Ted Leonsis has decided to move the two franchises. According to ESPN, the boss of Monumental Sports & Entertainment wants to build a new venue in Alexandria, a city of 150,000 inhabitants, located south of Washington, and in northern Virginia. A choice motivated by the absence of agreement with the municipality for the cost of renovations of the current room, located in Chinatown.
This Wednesday, Glenn Youngkin, the governor of the state of Virginia, will hold a press conference to formalize the construction of a huge sports complex, voted on by state parliamentarians on Monday.
Moving planned for 2028
We are thus talking about a plot of land of 745,000 m² for a huge real estate project, much larger than the simple construction of a sports arena.
Technically, the Wizards will therefore leave Washington, but Alexandria is located 10 kilometers from the American capital, on the other side of the Potomac, and we imagine that the franchise will not change its name.
According to ABC7, work should begin in 2025, and the two franchises could take up residence there as early as 2028. Since 1997, the Wizards and the Capitals have played at the Capital One Arena, located in the center of Washington, and contractually, they can leave the venue in 2027.
