The Detroit Pistons are officially returning to the Motor City.
The NBA's Board of Governors unanimously approved the team's move from the Palace of Auburn Hills to the new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.
The league's finance and advisory committee recommended the move last week and sent it to the board for final approval.
With that, the Pistons are expected to step up preparations to move their operations from Auburn Hills to downtown in time for the 2017-18 NBA season. They will be sharing the new arena with the NHL Detroit Red Wings, who have moved out of Joe Louis Arena.
The announcement, voted on Wednesday but made public Thursday, culminates a year of preparation since the NBA announced their intention to move back to Detroit. They had played in the former Cobo Arena until 1978, when they moved to the now-vacant and crumbling Pontiac Silverdome. They moved to the Palace in 1988.
Detroit City Council had already approved spending $34.5 million dollars to modify the arena to accommodate the Pistons as well as the Red Wings. This will be paid for by expanding the public bond offering paying for the arena construction.
The coming NBA season will mark the first time since 1974 that all four of Detroit's professional sports teams will play home games within the Detroit city limits.
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