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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s mayor has revealed the terms of the deal negotiated with the city’s pro basketball team for a new $1.3 billion arena downtown.

The agreement reached earlier this month calls for the Philadelphia 76ers to finance the entire project, with no city funding involved. There is, however, a provision that would let the NBA team make annual payments in lieu of taxes averaging $6 million per year. The agreement also calls for a $50 million investment in businesses, neighboring communities and the city’s schools to blunt the project’s impact, Mayor Cherelle Parker said during a news conference Wednesday night.

“I truly am proud having made this decision and negotiated an agreement that will definitely ensure that our Sixers are staying home right here in Philadelphia, where they should be,” Parker said.

City officials also released drafts of the nine bills and two resolutions needed to authorize the project, including measures that allow the city to acquire the arena property and change zoning rules. Parker said her administration would hold a series of town halls in the coming months where residents could discuss concerns about the proposal.

Team owners say their planned “76 Place” project would improve a struggling retail corridor near City Hall and capitalize on the city’s public transit. They also have vowed not to renew the lease on their current space, a circa 1996 arena in the city’s South Philadelphia sports complex, when their lease runs out in 2031.

The proposal has drawn significant opposition from activists in the city’s Chinatown area, who fear it would disrupt or displace residents and businesses. They say the city has ignored concerns that the project will increase vehicle traffic in their pedestrian-friendly neighborhood and force vulnerable residents — older people, low-income families and new immigrants — to move out. Parker on Wednesday renewed her pledge to preserve the area, which is just over a block from the proposed arena site.

If ultimately approved by the City Council, demolition work in the area would begin in 2026 with construction starting two years later. Officials hope to open the arena in time for the 76ers’ 2031-32 season.

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Karl-Anthony Towns was born in New Jersey, went to college in Kentucky and has spent the entirety of his NBA career in Minnesota.

His roots, however, are in the Dominican Republic. And to continue paying homage to his late mother’s homeland, Towns announced plans Thursday to help build a state-of-the-art basketball training facility in that country, one where youth will get top-notch coaching and access to physical therapy, classroom space, meeting space and more.

Groundbreaking in Santiago, Dominican Republic, is set for next year, with plans calling for completion in 2026.

“I’ve been very fortunate to live the American dream,” said Towns, the four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection who is about to enter his 10th pro season, all with the Timberwolves. “But for me, having a different set of eyes, seeing it through my mother’s eyes and what she had to do to really even feel like an American, I wanted to bring the resources that we have here to there and give kids the opportunity to have the best equipment and the best chances possible to not only make money for their family but also pursue their dreams.”

Jacqueline Cruz-Towns died in April 2020 of complications related to COVID-19. She was the center of her son’s world, the woman who taught him about the importance of faith and family, sacrifice and hard work. The fact that this facility — Towns is partnering with GO Ministries and World Youth Clubs to make it happen — is going to be built where she’s from is not a coincidence.

“It was really important for me to give back to my community, a country that’s given me everything, gave me my mother and gave me this love of the game of basketball,” Towns said. “It’s given me the word love, both of family and understanding how to treat people.”

Towns, also in tribute to his mother, has represented the Dominican Republic in multiple international tournaments going back to 2011 at the junior level. He most recently starred for the island nation at the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines, averaging 24.4 points in five games.

This basketball facility is part of a complex that also includes two soccer fields, four baseball fields, covered outdoor basketball and volleyball courts and an educational facility. Towns said it has taken time to find the right people to actually execute the programs on the ground — he has known and trusted some of them for years — and now the “building blocks are set,” he said.

And above all else, his mother — who took him to church often and even when the family was struggling taught him the value of trying to help others — would approve.

“It is the safe haven for some of these kids who have found themselves in different situations and have a lack of resources,” Towns said. “To be able to give these kids a chance to dream and to really think of the dream — maybe they don’t make the NBA, the WNBA, professional baseball, become a professional volleyball player or a great soccer player — but now they get to dream. For them to be able to grow their life skills, their social skills, and also to learn how to have a passion and to be determined about something and have dedication, I think this is amazing.”

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Juraj Slafkovsky was an NHL draft pick, just like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard. The spotlight, however, has not been quite as bright or the hype train as strong for him in Montreal.

“I like it that way,” Slafkovsky said.

Regardless of the attention or lack thereof, Slafkovsky is on the vanguard of hockey’s next generation of stars, along with the likes of San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Buffalo’s JJ Peterka and New Jersey’s Luke Hughes.

“It’s really cool to be a part of it, and I hope I will be a part of it,” Slafkovsky said two years after the Canadiens took him at No. 1 in 2022. “Hopefully we can do some things as the younger generation.”

Slafkovsky, Peterka, Hughes and Quinton Byfield of the Los Angeles Kings have been around a bit, and now is the time to show they can be among the league’s best. Newcomers like Celebrini, Smith, Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov and even teammate Lane Hutson are front-runners in the race for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Macklin Celebrini

The most recent No. 1 pick does not have the so-called “generational talent” label like Crosby, McDavid or Bedard, but he still won the Hobey Baker Award last season at Boston University as the top college player in the country with 64 points in 38 games.

Sharks forward William Eklund was not too familiar with Celebrini’s game until the draft, so he made it a point to check out his highlights.

“I looked him up a little bit, and obviously he’s a great skill guy,” Eklund said. “He’s a high-caliber player, and it’s going to be fun to see.”

BetMGM Calder Trophy odds: 4-1

Will Smith

Rivals at Boston-area schools, Smith and Celebrini are now front and center as the faces of San Jose’s rebuild.

“It’s going to be a fun relationship,” said Smith, the fourth pick in 2023 who decided to turn pro after starring last season at Boston College. “Really cool. We were talking about it earlier just how crazy it is that we’re on the same team now.”

Smith, a year older than Celebrini, is coming off a 71-point season, helped the U.S. win world junior gold and played at the world championships.

“He’s a kid that has a really bright future and a ton of talent,” said Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who was a teammate at worlds. “A really good kid, too, and I think he’ll go in and play for San Jose this year and I think you’ll see him do pretty well.”

BetMGM Calder Trophy odds: 5-1

Juraj Slafkovsky

The MVP of the 2022 Beijing Olympics without NHL players struggled in his rookie year. Last season, he quintupled his production with 20 goals, 30 assists and 50 points and said, “I’m ready to start where I finished.”

Slafkovsky in the spring signed an eight-year contract extension worth over $60 million. Now it’s up to the big Slovak forward to earn it.

“I just want to show them that they made the right decision,” Slafkovsky said. “I feel like the only way I can do it is showing up every day and playing hard and being there.”

JJ Peterka

A 2020 second-round pick of the Sabres, Peterka is older at 22 but could get a look on the first line this season after establishing himself as a full-time NHL player and scoring 28 goals. The Germany-born forward is in a contract year looking to get the kind of guaranteed deal Slafkovsky and others have.

Peterka thinks the key is not putting too much pressure on himself, especially while trying to help Buffalo end the league’s longest playoff drought.

“I want to be put more in situations where I’m maybe not too uncomfortable,” Peterka said. “I want to be more responsible, more consistent. For me it’s just take the next step to just grow as a player, as more of a complete player.”

Quinton Byfield

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound power forward is expected to play center after getting a five-year, $31.25 million contract. He spent the summer working on his shot to be more of a threat from further away from the net and prefers center offensively and defensively.

“I like playing good defense and shutting down their top lines, so when I can be in my own end kind of playing those guys down low, that’s where I want to be,” Byfield said. “Also I don’t want to just be on the wall standing there going up the ice. I want to be able to use my speed and kind of demand the middle of the ice.”

Luke Hughes

A left shoulder injury from summer training could cause the Devils defenseman to miss the start of the season. That absence should not keep Hughes from building on a 47-point rookie year that left him third in Calder Trophy voting.

“He’ll take another step,” older brother and New Jersey teammate Jack Hughes said. “Luke will be even more mature this year. He’ll know the league a little bit more and know the players and he’ll know things he can get away with and where he can capitalize on certain things. I think he’ll have a better year offensively, obviously, and just keep getting better.”

Matvei Michkov

The 19-year-old Russian winger is the new face of the Flyers with the weight of the franchise’s nearly five-decade Stanley Cup drought on his shoulders. Michkov was the seventh pick in 2023, with some teams concerned he might not be able to leave the KHL or was under-scouted given the war in Ukraine.

Early returns are positive.

“Everyone’s really excited to have him, and when you see him on the ice it’s pretty special and gives our team a positive boost,” forward Owen Tippett said. “Super skilled. We’re all really excited to have him on our side, and we’re excited to see what he can do.”

BetMGM Calder Trophy odds: 7-2

Lane Hutson

A saucer pass from Hutson during an early training camp scrimmage that landed right on the stick blade of teammate Emil Heineman went viral in hockey circles. It’s just a taste of what the 20-year-old defenseman might be able to do when he gets used to life in the NHL, but he already has big expectations in Montreal.

“I haven’t proved anything yet,” Hutson said. “There’s a lot to prove before I’m even close to a face of the team.”

BetMGM Calder Trophy odds: 7-1

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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson and freelance writer W.G. Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed.

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