The future home of the Brooklyn Nets is finally showing off its name.
Construction crews using a crane spent several hours yesterday slapping the name “Barclays Center” along a side Atlantic Avenue entrance to the Nets’ new 18,200-seat arena. The large light-blue letters now cover the arena’s rust-colored, metal façade.
Barclays Bank has a 20-year lease for the naming rights to the arena, which opens Sept. 28 with a concert by rap star Jay-Z, a part owner of the Nets.
The “Barclays Center” name will be featured prominently along other areas outside the arena, including the rooftop and the main entrance at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.
Barclays Bank originally agreed to pay a record $400 million for the 20-year naming rights deal, first reported by the Post in January 2007.
But two years later, with the economy slumping, the deal was renegotiated with arena developer Forest City Ratner, and the price was sliced in half to $200 million.