The Golden State Warriors reside in San Francisco now, but for many of the players and coaches who have brought championships to the Bay Area in recent years, the connection to Oakland – the city where the team played for 47 years and recently went to five consecutive NBA Finals within Oracle Arena – remains stronger than ever. Those roots became clear as the Warriors folks discussed what it meant for them to wear their new “Oakland Forever” T-shirts – with Oakland stamped on their chest – that debuts during Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
“This is fire,” Draymond Green of the Warriors said during a video conference with reporters after Monday night’s victory at the Los Angeles Lakers. “You know, I rocked Oakland; this is my second home. The soul of our team comes from Oakland. That’s what it is. The soul of this organization is built in Oakland; that’s the reality.”
The uniforms, which the “We Believe” Warriors made famous during a 2007 playoff, are blue with Oakland in gold letters with an orange outline. They are part of the City Edition collection that Nike collects every year throughout the league.
“I love the shirts,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after Tuesday’s training. “I think they are really beautiful, and the fact that they say Oakland about them is just incredible. I will forever have five years of incredible memories of playing at Oracle and practicing in Oakland every day on our premises, living in the Bay of east.
“These guys are right: Oakland will forever be a big part of our identity and roots. We are a Bay Area team. Obviously, the team played in San Francisco before playing in Oakland, so we are very proud to represent the entire bay. But Oakland will always have a special place in our hearts. “
The Warriors moved into their new home, Chase Center in San Francisco, ahead of the 2019-20 season. While the team members understood the relocation, given the massive revenue possibilities in the sparkling new building that cost more than $ 1 billion to build, it was difficult for many to leave East Bay because of its affinity for the community they grew up calling home.
For Warriors star Stephen Curry, the jerseys are a reminder of his NBA debut. The Warriors chose the Davidson product as the seventh choice in the 2009 NBA draft, making him the last player in the current squad to wear the ‘We Believe’ shirt during his first season in the league.
“They were fire,” said Curry on Monday night, in this case referring to what those unis were made of. “But that was the old stuff; they were heavy as hell. That was the only thing I remember; you put them on, instead of the way they do them now, it’s night and day. But the look is so classic. When you think of the old school, you think of this franchise, Oakland, the expression of what we were, those shirts are in the front and in the center, in front of the mind. “
The Warriors wore the white version of the “We Believe” shirt during the final game of the regular season at Oracle Arena during the 2018-19 season, but this will be the first time the group will be able to wear a shirt that really says Oakland.
“The last time we used them, the last game of the regular season in 19 at Oracle, was an incredible time to bring them back,” said Curry. “Obviously, having Oakland on my chest now, is special. We have a lot of great memories there on that side of the [Bay] Bridge. Pay respect to this era of Warrior basketball. And it is obviously special to me because my debut year; I was the only one on this team that used them, so it’s very special. “