Today in Nets history: NBA Board of Governors approves Nets’ move to Brooklyn

On April 13, 2012, the NBA Board of Governors decided on whether or not the New Jersey Nets could move to Brooklyn.

With the NBA on hiatus and New York continuing its battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak, Brooklyn Nets games will not be played for the foreseeable future.

For the Nets, as much as any team, this comes at an odd time — Brooklyn was battling the Orlando Magic for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings. At the stoppage of play, the Nets had a half-game advantage over the Magic.

Since there aren’t any games, each day Nets Wire will highlight impressive individual performances and major moments throughout Nets history:

Brooklyn and Barclays Center have been the Nets’ home since 2012-13. But before they could move out of New Jersey, the franchise had to get the green light from the NBA Board of Governors.

The league’s top officials voted on the matter April 13, 2012 — while the Nets were visiting the Philadelphia 76ers — and were all in agreement. The move was unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors, marking the start to a new era of Nets basketball.

Mikhail Prokhorov and Bruce Ratner — who, at the time, were the Nets principal owner and Barclays Center majority owner, respectively — issued a joint statement following the league’s announcement:

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to David Stern and the NBA team owners for their role in making the Nets’ move to Brooklyn a reality. Barclays Center will give the Nets a state-of-the-art new home and, together, we will give Brooklyn the great sports and entertainment experience it so deserves. We are looking forward to the opening of Barclays Center on September 28 and to the start of the next NBA season as the Brooklyn Nets.

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