The Detroit Pistons NBA basketball team has confirmed that it will move to Little Caesars Arena, the under-construction home of NHL ice hockey franchise the Detroit Red Wings, from the 2017-18 season.
The move will result in the construction of a new state-of-the-art practice facility and corporate headquarters that will bring substantial economic benefits to downtown Detroit. With the relocation, Detroit will become the first North American city to host each of its major league teams within four blocks of its urban core.
Little Caesars Arena will be located just a short distance from Comerica Park, the home ballpark of the Detroit Tigers MLB baseball team, and Ford Field, the home stadium of the city’s NFL American football franchise, the Lions.
“This is a historic day for our franchise, and for the City of Detroit,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said. “We're moving to a beautiful new arena that will provide a state-of-the-art fan experience, and we're investing in the future of Detroit.
“I’ve always believed that a sports franchise is a community asset with the power to unite and inspire people. There's a big responsibility that goes with that, but there's also a big payoff. Not just for the city of Detroit, but for the whole region. Detroit is rising, reinventing itself. The Pistons are doing the same. We're in this together, and we couldn't be more excited about that.”
The announcement means the current 2016-17 season will mark the Pistons’ last at The Palace of Auburn Hills, which has been the team’s home since 1988. The 2016-17 NHL season will also mark the Red Wings’ last at Joe Louis Arena, its home since 1979, ahead of the move to Little Caesars Arena.
Construction work on the $627m (£504m/€590m) project got underway in April 2015. The arena is scheduled to open in September 2017 will have a capacity of 21,000. It will also host entertainment shows, concerts and community functions.
The Pistons’ move is subject to NBA approval and is expected to be presented to the league’s Board of Governors at some point after January 1. Formal legal agreements will be finalised between now and then.
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