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NFL’s Pro Bowl Teams

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ORLANDO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NFL announced on Wednesday the players participating in each of the on-field and off-field skills competitions that make up the 2025 Pro Bowl Games taking place Thursday and Sunday in Florida.

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The 11 skills challenges are worth three points apiece for a total of 33 available. Points from the flag football game on Sunday will be added to Thursday’s score to determine the winner between the competing AFC and NFC sides.

“Passing the Test” is a combination of quarterbacks throwing at various targets in 40 seconds, and teammates answering questions about current Pro Bowl players to try to add more time (10 seconds for a correct response).

The AFC quarterbacks are the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, the Patriots’ Drake May and the Steelers’ Russell Wilson. The trivia partners are the Texans’ Nico Collins, the Dolphins’ Jonnu Smith and the Browns’ Myles Garrett.

The NFC QBs are the Lions’ Jared Goff, the Vikings’ Sam Darnold and the Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield. Their trivia partners are the Packers’ Josh Jacobs, the 49ers’ Fred Warner and the Bucs’ Mike Evans.

“Safety Catches” pits a wide receiver, tight end and defensive back from each side trying to catch passes while running an obstacle course.

For the AFC: WR Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), TE Brock Bowers (Raiders) and DB Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans).

For the NFC: WR Justin Jefferson (Vikings), TE Trey McBride (Cardinals) and DB Jaylon Johnson (Bears).

“The Big Spike” pits lineman spiking the football for power and impact.

The AFC participants are OL Rashawn Slater (Chargers) and Joel Bitonio (Browns) and DL Quinnen Williams (Jets). The NFC participants are OL Chris Lindstrom (Falcons) and Frank Ragnow (Lions) and DL Dexter Lawrence (Giants).

“Relay Race” features four players from each squad running 40-yard dashes with a football instead of a baton to hand off.

The AFC relay runners: RB Jonathan Taylor (Colts), CB Pat Surtain II (Broncos), DE Danielle Hunter (Texans), FB Patrick Ricard (Ravens), FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers), ST Marvin Mims (Broncos), LB Joey Bosa (Chargers), CB Denzel Ward (Browns), WR Jerry Jeudy (Browns), LB Kyle Van Noy (Ravens), LB Nik Bonitto (Broncos) and SS Derwin James (Chargers).

The NFC relay runners: RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), CB Jaycee Horn (Panthers), DE Micah Parsons (Cowboys), SS Brian Branch (Lions), CB Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks), ST KhaDarel Hodge (Falcons), DE Nick Bosa (49ers), RS KaVontae Turpin (Cowboys), WR Malik Nabers (Giants), LB Bobby Wagner (Commanders), LB Jared Verse (Rams) and SS Budda Baker (Cardinals).

“Helmet Harmony” tests players knowledge of their NFL teammates.

The AFC participants: Cameron Heyward and Miles Killebrew of the Steelers; Dion Dawkins and Connor McGovern of the Bills; and Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton of the Ravens.

The NFC participants: Vita Vea and Tristan Wirfs of the Buccaneers; Jonathan Greenard and Brian O’Neill of the Vikings; and Rashan Gary and Xavier McKinney of the Packers.

“Dodgeball” features four teams of seven players and has a total of six points available.

AFC players: Jeffrey Simmons (Titans), Logan Cooke (Jaguars), Ronnie Stanley (Ravens), Chris Boswell (Steelers), Joe Mixon (Texans), Isaac Seumalo (Steelers), Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens), Patrick Queen (Steelers), Quenton Nelson (Colts), Zaire Franklin (Colts), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), James Cook (Bills), Ross Matiscik (Jaguars) and Trey Hendrickson (Bengals).

NFC players: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), Erik McCoy (Saints), Leonard Williams (Seahawks), Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Robert Hunt (Panthers), Taylor Decker (Lions), Jack Fox (Lions), Kyle Juszczyk (49ers), Tyler Smith (Cowboys), Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings), George Kittle (49ers), Andrew DePaola (Vikings), Brandon Aubrey (Cowboys) and Byron Murphy (Vikings).

“Punt Perfect” tests the punting accuracy of a one punter and one non-punter from each conference. AFC: Cooke (punter) and Humphrey. NFC: Fox (punter) and Juszczyk.

The Madden NFL 25 Competition features the AFC’s James and Thomas, and the NFC’s Jefferson and Parsons.

The “Great Football Race” consists of five challenges in a relay race. The AFC is represented by Garrett, Linderbaum, Slater, Boswell, Matiscik and McGovern. The NFC participants are Parsons, Ragnow, Wirfs, Aubrey, DePaola and McCoy.

The “Tug-of-War” features the AFC’s Nelson, Seumalo, Bitonio, Stanley, Dawkins, Hendrickson, Hunter, Simmons, Heyward, Q. Williams. The NFC is going with Lindstrom, Tyler Smith, Hunt, O’Neill, Decker, Gary, N. Bosa, Lawrence, Vea, L. Williams.

Flag football rosters:

AFC: Burrow, Maye, Wilson, Mixon, Taylor, Cook, Ricard, Chase, Jeudy, Collins, Thomas, Bowers, J. Smith, Linderbaum, McGovern, Van Noy, Bonito, J. Bosa, Queen, Franklin, Humphrey, Ward, Surtain, Stingley, Fitzpatrick, Hamilton, James, Mims, Killebrew.

NFC: Goff, Darnold, Mayfield, Gibbs, Jacobs, Robinson, Juszcyk, Jefferson, Nabers, Evans, Smith-Njigba, McBridge, Kittle, Ragnow, McCoy, Verse, Greenard, Van Ginkel, Warner, Wagner, Horn, Johnson, Murphy, Weatherspoon, McKinney, Baker, Branch, Turpin, Hodge.

–Field Level Media

Chiefs Beat Bills for Super Bowl LIX Bid

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Harrison Butker kicked a tiebreaking 35-yard field goal with 3:33 remaining as the Kansas City Chiefs recorded a wild 32-29 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday to reach the Super Bowl for the third straight season.

Patrick Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) as top-seeded Kansas City eliminated the Bills from the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Kareem Hunt rushed for a touchdown, and Xavier Worthy had six receptions for 85 yards and one score.

The Chiefs will face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Kansas City will be looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

Mahomes completed 18 of 26 passes for 245 yards and added 43 on 11 rushes as the Chiefs won their ninth consecutive postseason game.

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Josh Allen was 22-of-34 passing for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the second-seeded Bills, who were trying to earn their first Super Bowl appearance in 31 years.

James Cook rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns while Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel had scoring receptions for Buffalo.

Kansas City drove 51 yards in eight plays to set up Butker’s go-ahead kick.

The Bills faced fourth-and-5 from their own 47-yard line on their next possession when the Chiefs heavily blitzed Allen, and his desperation throw for Dalton Kincaid fell incomplete with 1:54 left.

Two plays later, Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco took a short pass 10 yards for a first down. The Bills then had a chance to force a punt on third-and-9, but Mahomes hit Samaje Perine out of the backfield for 17 yards to clinch the victory.

Buffalo took a 22-21 lead on Cook’s 1-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the third quarter to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. The ensuing two-point conversion try failed.

The Bills later had possession, but Allen was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 41-yard line, giving the Chiefs the ball with 12:55 remaining in the game.

Just five plays later, Mahomes ran to the end zone for a 10-yard score and followed with a two-point conversion pass to Justin Watson to give Kansas City a 29-22 lead with 10:14 left.

Buffalo answered and tied the score on Allen’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Samuel on fourth-and-goal with 6:15 to play.

Kansas City held a 21-16 halftime lead.

The Chiefs drove 90 yards in nine plays on their first possession, with Hunt scoring on a 12-yard run.

Buffalo scored the next 10 points on Tyler Bass’ 53-yard field goal in the opening quarter and Cook’s 6-yard TD run with 10:25 left in the first half.

Kansas City took a 14-10 lead on Mahomes’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Worthy with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Mahomes added a 1-yard scoring run with 1:55 to go to give the Chiefs a 21-10 advantage.

Buffalo responded with Allen’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Hollins with 23 seconds remaining in the frame. A two-point conversion attempt failed.

–Field Level Media

Philly Crushes DC for SB LIX Berth

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley rushed for three touchdowns apiece, and the Philadelphia Eagles pulled away for a 55-23 win over the visiting Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game Sunday afternoon.

Barkley rushed for 118 yards and Hurts threw for 246 yards and a TD for Philadelphia, which advanced to play in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. The Eagles scored eight touchdowns and reached the Super Bowl for the fifth time in team history and the second time in three seasons.

The Commanders pulled within 14-12 midway through the second quarter. Zane Gonzalez made a 46-yard kick for his second field goal of the afternoon, and McLaurin broke a tackle on his way to a 36-yard touchdown catch with 7:05 remaining in the half.

The Eagles pulled ahead 27-12 after scoring two touchdowns in 65 seconds. Hurts lurched forward for a 1-yard score with 1:44 left in the half, and after the Commanders fumbled on the kickoff return, Philadelphia took advantage as Hurts found A.J. Brown for a 4-yard touchdown.

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Gonzalez cut the deficit to 27-15 with a 42-yard field goal just before halftime.

Hurts put Philadelphia on top 34-15 with 8:58 left in the third quarter. He took the snap out of the shotgun and weaved through traffic for a 9-yard score.

Daniels brought Washington within 34-23 on the next possession. He scored on a 10-yard run, then passed to Olamide Zaccheaus for a two-point conversion.

Hurts’ third rushing touchdown made it 41-23 with 12:24 to play. Washington drew multiple penalties for encroachment trying to stop the “Brotherly Shove,” and ultimately Hurts and the Eagles got their way as teammates pushed the quarterback across the goal line yet again.

Barkley scored his third touchdown on a 4-yard run with 7:58 remaining.

Rookie Will Shipley finished the scoring with a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 3:03 to go, two plays after ripping off a 57-yard run. The Eagles finished with 229 yards on the ground.

–Field Level Media

NFC/AFC Championship Previews

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Four teams are left in the race for the Lombardi.

Two-time defending champion Kansas City, the top seed in the AFC, welcomes an opponent the Chiefs know all too well — and not just because of a 30-21 loss at Buffalo on Nov. 17.

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This is the fourth postseason meeting in five years between the Bills and Chiefs, with marquee quarterbacks front and center.

A new name in lights, rookie Jayden Daniels, orchestrated a landslide upset of the NFC favorite and No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions last week to set up the Washington Commanders for a third game in three months against East division rival Philadelphia.

The Eagles are crossing their fingers quarterback Jalen Hurts can be ready after a knee injury slowed him down in a 28-22 home win over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs. Philadelphia’s plan still centers around the man lined up behind Hurts — running back Saquon Barkley — who delivered the goods in both games with Washington in the regular season.

More details and all the dirt on Sunday’s AFC Championship and NFC Championship in the capsules below:

NFC Championship Game
No. 6 Washington Commanders (14-5) at No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (16-3)
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes

The NFC title game in Philadelphia completes a trilogy between rivals and the fifth time teams from the same division square off in the conference championship. This is Washington’s first championship game appearance since 1991, when the franchise won its last Super Bowl.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has 52 wins in his first four seasons. Only George Seifert, who inherited a gunpowder-infused roster in San Francisco, has more victories (57). Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin are the only head coaches with two Super Bowl appearances in their first four seasons. Sirianni would join them with a win over Washington today.

Previously this season, the Eagles defeated the Commanders, 26-18, on Nov. 14 as Barkley rushed for 146 yards, including two rushing touchdowns in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the win. In Week 16, Washington overcame a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to defeat Philadelphia, 36-33, as Daniels set a career high with five TD passes. He threw the game-winning TD with six seconds left after Eagles backup Kenny Pickett’s pass to likely seal the win was dropped by Barkley.

Philadelphia ranked No. 1 in total defense in 2024 and intercepted Daniels three times in two games. At the heart of the defense, second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter took over late in last week’s win over the Rams with a key sack and forced fumble. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury threw a few bouquets at Carter this week, calling him “maybe the best I’ve ever seen” at the position. The Eagles have more firepower behind Carter with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Zack Baun and all-rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Mitchell’s shoulder injury forced him out of last week’s game.

Barkley has the third-most rushing yards (2,329) and is fourth in total yards (2,638) in the NFL’s single-season record books. Broncos running back Terrell Davis set the record in 1998.

The game is a second homecoming for Commanders tight end Zach Ertz, who is second in Eagles franchise history to Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael with 639 receptions. Ertz caught a TD pass for visiting Washington when the teams played in November.

AFC Championship Game
No. 2 Buffalo Bills (15-4) at No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (16-2)
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount+

Buffalo beat the Chiefs after Kansas City’s 9-0 start to the regular season, taking a 30-21 victory to push the Bills’ regular-season winning streak over the Chiefs to four games. But Kansas City rattled off six consecutive wins to earn the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the AFC. The Chiefs have three consecutive victories over the Bills in the playoffs — the 2020 AFC Championship Game and 2021 and 2023 AFC divisional wins.

Quarterback Josh Allen is tightening the margins for opponents by taking care of the ball. Buffalo sports a plus-27 turnover margin and is the first team in NFL history with zero turnovers in four consecutive playoff games. Including the postseason, the Bills lead the NFL with 35 takeaways and a league-low eight turnovers in 19 total games. No team has ever reached the Super Bowl with 10 or fewer turnovers.

Counterpart Patrick Mahomes knows a thing or two about coming out on top in close games. Turnovers? It’s been eight games — since Week 12 of the regular season — without losing the ball for Kansas City, as the Chiefs peak on schedule. The Chiefs have won eight playoff games in a row, the third-longest such streak all-time (2001-2005 New England Patriots – 10 consecutive wins; 1961-67 Green Bay Packers – nine) and since Week 12.

Stopping the run will be a vital element to winning Sunday, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo noted this week. He pointed to James Cook’s 16 rushing touchdowns and Allen’s game-sealing rumble that beat Kansas City earlier this season.

Buffalo allowed 176 yards rushing to the Ravens, who gained 416 total yards but had three critical turnovers.

Bills safety Taylor Rapp was ruled out with a hip injury on Friday. It’s likely rookie Cole Bishop will be in the starting 11 against Mahomes on Sunday night.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is two TD receptions shy of tying the all-time playoff record held by Jerry Rice (22). Kelce hauled in a pair of Mahomes TD passes in the Chiefs’ playoff win at Buffalo last year. He added a touchdown reception as part of a seven-catch, 117-yard game last week to beat the Houston Texans.

Mahomes and Andy Reid have the Chiefs in the AFC Championship for the eighth consecutive season. Mahomes’ 16 playoff wins are second among all starting quarterbacks, he owns the second-highest postseason passer rating (105.6, minimum 150 attempts), fifth-most postseason touchdown passes (42) and eighth-most postseason passing yards (5,312) in NFL playoff history.

Only three teams have reached the Super Bowl three consecutive seasons: the 1990-93 Bills (four consecutive), 1971-73 Miami Dolphins (three) and 2016-18 Patriots (three).

–Field Level Media

Celtics Tops Mavs in Finals Redux

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 24 points and Derrick White added 23 to lead the visiting Celtics to a 122-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

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Tatum and White each made four 3-pointers, while the Celtics were 20 of 52 (38.5 percent) from 3-point range as a team in the victory.

All five Boston starters scored at least 17 points. Jaylen Brown tossed in 22, Kristaps Porzingis finished with 18 and Jrue Holiday had 17. Holiday was 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points for the Mavericks, who have lost six of their last eight games. Quentin Grimes scored 20 points off the bench for Dallas, and Daniel Gafford had 19 points and 15 rebounds.

It was the first meeting between the teams since they faced each other in the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston has won five straight against Dallas during the regular season and won four of five games in the Finals last season.

Dallas led 16-6 just four minutes into the game and had a 29-25 advantage after one quarter. The Celtics built a 15-point lead in the second quarter, but the Mavericks scored the final five points in the half to trail 59-49. Boston had no turnovers in the first half.

The Mavericks scored the first six points of the second half to make it 59-55, but the Celtics owned the rest of the quarter. Boston led 93-68 following a Sam Hauser 3-pointer with 1:57 remaining in the third.

The Celtics made eight 3-pointers in the third and had a 96-76 lead heading into the fourth.

White scored 16 points in the third, when he was 6 of 9 from the floor. It was the most points he scored in a quarter this season.

Dallas was within 11 points after a Grimes layup with 3:44 to play but failed to get any closer.

The teams will meet again Feb. 6 in Boston.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Win in Matinee at Garden

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Charlie Coyle scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as part of a three-point effort, helping the Bruins surge past the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Monday afternoon.

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Coyle was the beneficiary of Matthew Poitras’ primary assists on both late-game goals, including the deciding tally at 14:11

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each registered a goal and an assist, while Vinni Lettieri also scored for Boston, which is 3-0-1 in its last four games.

Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves.

Rookie Will Smith, a native of nearby Lexington, Mass., led the Sharks with a goal and an assist in his first NHL game in Boston.

Barclay Goodrow and Fabian Zetterlund also scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for San Jose, which has lost three in a row and six of seven.

Performing well with new linemate Marchand, Coyle took a Poitras feed off the rush and banked the go-ahead goal off Askarov’s pads. The game-tying goal came several minutes earlier at 8:22 when Poitras fed Coyle a backhand pass, who sniped a shot past Askarov from the slot.

Marchand and Lindholm iced the game with empty-netters in the final 1:15.

The Sharks had scored twice in the second period to turn around a 2-1 deficit, with Smith bringing them back even at 8:52. The local native capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by placing a perfect glove-side wrist shot off a give-and-go with Mikael Granlund.

Smith’s goal was his seventh and the 25th goal by Sharks rookies this season, the most in the NHL.

A successful penalty kill helped vault San Jose to its first lead when Zetterlund scored with 4:42 left before the second intermission. After Smith’s shot was blocked, Zetterlund picked up the puck, skated down the wing and buried his own rebound after a net drive.

Boston’s opening goal came as Vinni Lettieri tipped Jordan Oesterle’s shot from the right point five-hole on Askarov at 9:21 of the first. It was his second tally in as many games.

Goodrow evened the score for San Jose at 13:16, charging down the middle of the ice to snap home Nico Sturm’s centering pass from behind the end line.

The Bruins’ power play converted for the fourth time in as many games at 7:02 of the second. Pavel Zacha circled the cage and fed Pastrnak for a one-time goal from close range just below the right circle for a 2-1 Boston lead.

–Field Level Media

Surging Hawks Top Celtics in OT

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atlanta’s Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists to help the visiting Hawks extend their winning streak to three games by defeating the Boston Celtics 119-115 in overtime on Saturday.

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Dyson Daniels added 23 points for the Hawks, who won despite shooting 9-for-37 from 3-point range and committing 18 turnovers. Atlanta received 19 points and 13 rebounds from Onyeka Okongwu and 14 points and 13 boards from Jalen Johnson.

Young, Johnson and De’Andre Hunter (16 points) all returned after missing time because of injuries.

Boston trailed by three in overtime when Jayson Tatum missed a 3-point attempt with 6.6 seconds to play. Tatum had 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 24 points but went 9-for-27 from the floor. Derrick White added 21 points and eight rebounds.

Red Sox Ink Duran

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BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox announced a one-year deal with outfielder Jarren Duran on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

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Durran, 28, will earn $3.75 million in 2025 and has an $8 million club option for 2026 with a $100,000 buyout, according to MLB.com.

He can earn up to an additional $150,000 in performance bonuses in 2025.

FanSided reported that the option includes escalators based on the 2025 MVP voting, including $2 million for a top-10 finish (he finished eighth in 2024) and $4 million if he wins the award.

Durran led the majors in triples (14), doubles (48), plate appearances (735) and at-bats (671) in 2024, batting .285 with 21 homers, 75 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in 160 games.

He also was named to the American League All-Star team for the first time. He won MVP honors at the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, after hitting a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the fifth inning of the AL’s 5-3 win.

A seventh-round pick by Boston in 2018, Durran made his MLB debut in 2021 and has batted .272 with 34 homers, 142 RBIs and 67 steals in 353 games.

–Field Level Media

Del Rio Heads to Paris

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PARIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former NFL head coach Jack Del Rio was named the head coach of the Paris Musketeers in the European League of Football on Friday.

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Del Rio, 61, posted a 93-94 record in 12 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2003-11) and then-Oakland Raiders (2015-17), leading his teams to the playoffs three times.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Coach Del Rio to Paris,” Musketeers CEO John McKeon said. “His commitment to excellence and his passion for teaching the game will build upon the tone and culture that was set by our first coach, Marc Mattioli. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Musketeers family and continue building our winning tradition.”

Del Rio was the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders from 2020-23 before serving as a senior adviser to Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell in 2024. He resigned from that position in November following a car accident in which he was cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

“I’m looking forward to working with this group of men,” he said. “We will teach, develop and compete.”

Founded in 2022, the Musketeers finished 10-2 in the regular season and reached the semifinals in 2024.

The franchise’s first head coach was former Vanderbilt assistant Mattioli, who compiled a 16-8 record before departing to become the defensive coordinator at Kennesaw State.

Paris kicks off the 2025 season against the defending champion Rhein Fire on May 17.

–Field Level Media

76ers Building New Arena

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The ownership group of the Philadelphia 76ers and Comcast Spectacor on Monday announced plans to build a new arena in South Philadelphia that will open in 2031.

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The announcement of the new arena, which will also be home to the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, comes a day after the 76ers abandoned plans for a $1.3 billion arena in downtown Philadelphia. This arena is a 50-50 joint venture between Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Comcast, which will have naming rights to the arena.

“Today’s announcement is great news for the City of Philadelphia,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a joint statement.

In addition, the venture will include a 50-50 effort between HBSE and Comcast to invest in the revitalization of Market East in Center City, where the new arena was originally slated to be built.

Sunday’s decision was a surprise, coming weeks after the city council voted to approve the NBA team’s move to Center City. However, Chinatown residents and activists had protested the project.

“By committing to both investments, the partnership will create thousands of jobs, generate billions of dollars in economic activity for the city, region and state, and enhance commitments to create economic opportunity in neighborhoods across Philadelphia,” the joint statement reads.

The Sixers and Flyers currently play in the Wells Fargo Center, which is owned by Comcast Spectacor. Their lease expires in 2031.

The new arena in South Philly will also host touring acts and special events.

–Field Level Media