The New Jersey Nets will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets when the National Basketball Association franchise moves across the state line and into a new arena next year, according to minority owner and hip hop superstar Jay-Z.
The Nets, who have played in New Jersey since joining the NBA in 1976, are due to move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2012-2013 season. The arena has been under construction since 2009 and is due to open in September 2012.
The team had been known as the New York Nets for a few seasons when it played in the defunct American Basketball Association, but now will take on the name of a borough that is part of New York City but maintains its own identity.
The Brooklyn-born rap star will be the first musical performer to play the new venue. Jay-Z says the borough is where he's from and opening the arena will mean more to him than anywhere else.
