Jay-Z and Beyonce (L) sit court-side and watch the New Jersey Nets play the Indiana Pacers in their NBA game in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Jay-Z and Beyonce (L) sit court-side and watch the New Jersey Nets play the Indiana Pacers in their NBA game in East Rutherford, New Jersey, January 16, 2006. Reuters

The New Jersey Nets will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets when the National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise moves across the state line and into a new arena next year, minority owner and rap star Jay-Z said on Monday.

The Nets, who have played in New Jersey since joining the NBA in 1976, are due to move into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2012-2013 season. The arena is under construction.

From the moment the Barclays Center became a reality, I knew this meant something significant for Brooklyn, Brooklyn-born Jay-Z told a news conference.

The team had been known as the New York Nets for a few seasons when it played in the defunct American Basketball Association, but now will take on the name of a borough that is part of New York City but maintains its own identity.

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