76ers’ home arena set to undergo name change
Mar 14, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers logo on the hardwood court against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
A new era for the Philadelphia 76ers will also extend to the name of their home arena.
Wells Fargo, the major banking company, announced this week that they won’t be renewing their naming rights partnership with the Philadelphia arena currently known as the Wells Fargo Center. As a result, the arena will be getting a new name upon the expiration of the partnership in Aug. 2025.
“Wells Fargo regularly reviews and adjusts our overall sponsorship strategy,” a spokeperson said in a statement to NBC10. “As such, we have made the business decision not to renew the naming rights contract to Wells Fargo Center. We value our relationship with Comcast Spectacor and we look forward to collaborating on live entertainment and sporting events at the Wells Fargo Center through the end of our contract in August 2025.
The Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor, is the home of the 76ers as well as of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). It was originally called the CoreStates Center when it first opened in 1996. It then became known as the First Union Center from 1998-2003 and the Wachovia Center from 2003-10 before the Wells Fargo partnership went into effect in 2010.
As for the 76ers specifically, their lease with the building runs through 2031. At that point, the team will be able to move to a different home. For the time being though, the 76ers (as well as all of their new signings) will be getting one final year of playing at the Wells Fargo Center (as currently named).
