Wizards announce move to Alexandria, Va.; owner Ted Leonsis avoids questions

The Washington Wizards intend to relocate to Alexandria, Va., with a new arena and new practice facility in Potomac Yard, team owner Ted Leonsis said on Wednesday.

Leonsis did not take questions from reporters at his press conference announcing the move, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. A source told Robbins about the addition of the practice facility.

Leonsis is officially the CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and majority owner of the Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals.

The move is still planning legislative approval, though Monumental said it currently has the framework in place to relocate. Per Robbins, the Wizards would start playing in their new arena in Virginia in 2028.

Alexandria is a little more than 20-minute drive from Capital Arena in downtown DC, where the Wizards have played since 1997. 

The franchise began in 1961 as the Chicago Packers, became the Chicago Zephyrs, and then moved to Baltimore in 1973 and became known as the Bullets. They eventually moved to Landover, Md., before changing their name to the Wizards and moving downtown.

A look inside the tent in Potomac Yard where Ted Leonsis is scheduled to announce his intention to move the Capitals and Wizards to an arena here in this area of Alexandria. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. pic.twitter.com/UquA45RFOU

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) December 13, 2023

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also announced the move.

“This is the most visionary sports and entertainment development in the world, bringing together entertainment, sports, and technology in the most advanced innovation corridor in the United States: a once-in-a-generation and historic development for the Commonwealth, sports fans, and all Virginians,” Youngkin said in a release. “The Commonwealth will now be home to two professional sports teams, a new corporate headquarters, and over 30,000 new jobs — this is monumental.”