If you’ve followed the NBA for years, then you remember Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson playing at the Philadelphia Spectrum. That legendary building was torn down six years ago.
But now there is a new Spectrum in the NBA.
The Charlotte Hornets’ arena, which had been called the Time Warner Center, will now be called the “Spectrum Center” the team announced Wednesday. The reason is part of the rebranding of Time Warner in its merger with Charter (Spectrum is the name of Charter’s digital services for consumers).
From the official press release:
“We are pleased to have Charter’s Spectrum brand become a part of our arena as Charter prepares to make its entrance into the Charlotte area,” said Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & COO Fred Whitfield. “We look forward to partnering with Charter for many years to come as we continue to provide the best in sports and entertainment for Charlotte and the Carolinas at Spectrum Center.”
Nothing else changes, this is just a renaming.
The now Spectrum Center was to be host to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, but the league pulled it in protest of the HB2 “bathroom law” put in place in the state. This season’s All-Star Game appears headed to New Orleans, but the game could come to Charlotte in 2019 if there is a change in the law (2018 is in Los Angeles).