Wizards to Unveil VIP Courtside Patio Named 'The District'

For the 2019-2020 NBA season, the Washington Wizards have announced the unveiling of a courtside patio available for all VIP season ticket holders. The patio will be called “The District” and is part of MSE’s $55 million renovations of Capital One Arena.

At over 1,000 square feet long, the patio will be the largest standing-room area in the NBA. Courtside additions during NBA arena renovations are not unprecedented; the Atlanta Hawks added a standing-room courtside club behind the basket in 2017. It appears that the Wizards’ patio will be a larger scale version of the Hawks courtside club.

After posting a disappointing 32-50 record last season, the 2019-2020 season doesn’t look too bright for the Wizards either. Bradley Beal may be on his way out via trade and John Wall could miss the entire season after he ruptured his Achilles tendon last January. All of that makes the timing of the addition of “The District” quite interesting.

It’s likely they had the addition planned for some time, but the possibility does remain that they threw it in there in hopes of bringing fans to a unique section while distracting them from the poor product on the court. Yet, if history repeats itself, the courtside addition will be successful. It was for the Hawks, who went 24-58 during the 2017-2018 season yet still brought in fans to their flashy addition, completely selling out the new premium spaces ahead of the 2018 season.