Add Bradley Beal to the list of people upset about the plan to move the Washington Wizards from D.C. to Alexandria, Virginia. In the latest edition of his year-long diary with Andscape, the former Wizard pleaded with owner Ted Leonsis to keep the team in the nation's capitol.
"D.C., I'm here with you. I'm with you all," Beal said. "There is no moving to Virginia. What is that, [Wizards owner] Ted [Leonsis]? We love you to death. We understand what you want to do and are trying to do. But you can't take the team out of D.C. It's Chocolate City. As a league, we need it. It has to stay in D.C. now. The money? Listen, it's out of my hands and out of my control. I ain't got nothing to do with that. Hopefully [Washington] mayor [Muriel] Bowser can work something out with you.
"I hope the team stays. It's good for the city. It creates a little bit of a problem, just my personal opinion, if it moves to Virginia. It's probably similar to how people felt when [the Washington Commanders] moved to Maryland. It is a tough thing. We just got to get everybody back to D.C. just rebuild RFK Stadium, rebuild Cap One (Capital One Arena). Keep it in the city. We can make it happen and they can make happen."
Earlier this month, Leonsis and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a plan to move the Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals across the Potomac River. As part of the proposal, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the parent company that controls the Wizards and Capitals, among other teams, would build a $2 billion sports and entertainment district that would include a new arena, music venue and hotels.
"That notion of community in the DMV really is what our business is about," Leonsis said, per the Washington Post. "That's the higher calling for sports. That is the higher calling on everything that we do - to build these legacies through winning championships from doing the right things in the right way by our fans, so that people can appreciate the community that they live in. It's no secret that this great airport here was considered Washington National, and yet it's in Virginia."
If the move goes ahead, ground will be broken for construction in 2025, and the teams will move in 2028. It remains unclear if the plan will get legislative approval, however. Notably, Virginia state senator Louise Lucas recently announced she would vote against the deal.
"Anyone who thinks I am going to approve an arena in Northern Virginia using state tax dollars before we deliver on toll relief and for public schools in Hampton Roads must think I have dumbass written on my forehead," Louise wrote on Twitter.
Beal spent over a decade with the Wizards after being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. During his time with the team, he made three All-Star Games, one All-NBA team and led them to five playoff appearances. In June he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade for Chris Paul.
