When the Nets Move to Brooklyn, They Will Indeed Be Called the Brooklyn Nets

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 14: Brook Lopez #11 of the New Jersey Nets drives against Pau Gasol #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on January 14, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 100-88. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brook Lopez;Pau Gasol
Brook Lopez.

Last year, Mikhail Prokhorov suggested that the Nets might change their nickname when they move into the Barclays Center in 2012. (His line at the time: “I can put Russian name and nobody knows what it is. I can put the name of a girlfriend and every time I change, I need to change the name of the team.“) Since then, the Internet has made thousands of “Brooklyn Nyets” jokes, and, for a couple days last December, we worried they were going to call themselves the Brooklyn New Yorkers. But alas, at a press conference today, Jay-Z, who owns a minority stake in the team, announced that the franchise will simply change its name from the New Jersey Nets to the Brooklyn Nets. Changing the team’s name is the easy part, though. But convincing Knicks fans to switch allegiances and buy Nets tickets, as they’ll attempt to do with a marketing campaign targeting downtown Manhattan? That’s the hard part. [Off the Dribble/NYT]

The Nets Will Indeed Be Called the Brooklyn Nets