Why Barclays Center Means Brooklyn Nets Are a Must-See Event Already

On Thursday, November 1st, the Barclays Center will host the official return of major professional sports to the most populous New York City borough after a 55-year hiatus, when the Brooklyn Nets welcome the New York Knicks for Game 1 of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Before the season begins though, the two teams will meet in October. And before that, the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers will get to check out the Nets' new digs in the preseason.

Before that, Jay-Z, who, according to cbssports.com, "owns a whopping .067 percent" of the team, and whose "influence on the project" has been rightly characterized by the Atlanta Black Star as "wildly disproportionate to his ownership stake," will grand open the venue with a sold out eight-day concert beginning September 28th.

In between, the New Jersey Devils will face the New York Islanders in an exhibition game, the Harlem Globetrotters will (astonishingly) play their first-ever game in Brooklyn and world-famous proud local Barbara Streisand will take the stage.

While the NBA season rages, the Barclays Center will squeeze in one of the most popular stars in the universe, Justin Bieber, nine-time Grammy award winning legend, John Legend, one of the greatest rock bands of all time, The Who, and one of rock's greatest lyricists, Bob Dylan.

Not to mention Neil Young, Andrea Bocelli and nothing less than the circus itself.

But for sports fans, it's this act that counts the most:

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and every great player in the NBA, even injured Derrick Rose for an April date, will be visiting Brooklyn within the next eight months.

But, wait. What about the home team, possibly the best the Nets have taken to court? Deron Williams. Joe Johnson. Brook Lopez. Gerald Wallace. Kris Humphries.

All this goes down in year one, and makes the Barclays Center, and the Brooklyn Nets, the place to be and the team to see.

Even the Atlantic Avenue subway signs now read "Atlantic Avenue—Barclays Center," luring your curiosity as you transfer from the "2" to the "N."

There's more.

The view is intimate, and with the help of stubhub.com, or various other services, it's possible to snag a couple of seats for under 20 bucks each. Just 18,000 seats makes Barclays one of the smallest arenas in the NBA, and if you miss anything on the floor, the "$7.5-million super-scoreboard" will help you catch up.

As with all the new sports arenas and stadiums erected in the U.S. in the past decade, particularly in this city, the Barclays Center will have state of the art facilities, a wide variety of food and beverage services and exclusive and general admission bars and clubs.

You might even be able to get a job there, and be as close to the action as possible. Brooklynite applicants will get favorable treatment, part of the complex's deal with the city.

And if still, none of that piques your interest, there's always the Brooklynettes.

Next week, we'll get up close with the Barclays Center and the neighborhood with a personal video visit. Stay tuned.