Frank Capece felt a twinge of nostalgia last week when he heard New Jersey officials were trying to convince the Philadelphia 76ers to cross state lines and establish a new home in Camden, N.J.

A lawyer and deep-dyed sports fan from Cranford, N.J., Capece owned New Jersey Nets season tickets for two decades before disavowing the team, swiftly and permanently, when it became clear that it was moving to Brooklyn.

So when the owners of the 76ers announced that they were at least pondering the offer, Capece, 74, could only laugh.

“Been there, done that,” he said. “It’s like a divorce, and when a divorce happens, you don’t look back.”

The rumblings have caused consternation and curiosity on both sides of the state border. Sports fans are often knocked for being capricious, but owners can be, too. And a move, should one happen, would represent only the latest episode in the enduring history of professional teams unceremoniously fleeing their longtime homes.

The hypothetical arrival of the Sixers would also reaffirm New Jersey’s odd role as a kind of liminal space in the professional sports landscape. Five major teams play in the state, and four of them refer to New York in their official monikers. Could New Jersey host yet another out-of-state guest?

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