The Golden State Warriors now reside in San Francisco, but for many of the players and coaches who have brought championships to the Bay Area in recent years, the connection is with Oakland – the city where the team played for 47 years and recently played five consecutive NBA finals at the Oracle Arena – remains stronger than ever. Those roots were clear when Warriors staff discussed what it would mean for them to wear their new Oakland Forever jerseys – with Oakland on their chest – which will debut in Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
“This is fire,” said Draymond Green, striker for the Warriors, during a videoconference with reporters following Monday night’s win at the Los Angeles Lakers. “You know, I rock with Oakland; this is my second home. The soul of our team is from Oakland. It’s just like that. The soul of this organization is built in Oakland; that’s just the reality.”
The kits that made the We Believe Warriors famous during a 2007 playoff run are blue with Oakland in gold lettering with an orange outline. They are part of the City Edition collection that Nike puts together across the league every year.
“I love the jerseys,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr after Tuesday’s practice session. “I think they look really good and the fact that they say Oakland on them is just fantastic. I will forever have incredible memories for five years of playing at Oracle and practicing every day in Oakland at our facility East Bay.
“These guys are right: Oakland will forever be a huge part of our identity and our roots. We’re a team from the Bay Area. Obviously the team played in San Francisco before they played in Oakland, so we’re very much proud But Oakland will always have a special place in our hearts. “
The Warriors moved to their new home, the Chase Center in San Francisco, ahead of the 2019-20 season. While staff understood the move, given the tremendous revenue opportunities in the sparkling new building, which cost over $ 1 billion to build, many found it difficult to leave the East Bay as they had an affinity with the community in which they were at home.
For Warriors star Stephen Curry, the jerseys are a reminder of his NBA start. The Warriors took the Davidson product with the seventh choice in the 2009 NBA draft, making him the last player on the current squad to wear the We Believe jersey in his first season in the league.
“They were fire,” said Curry on Monday evening, referring in this case to what these universities 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, compared to how they make them now, it’s day and night. But the look, it is just so classic. When you think of old school, you think of this franchise, Oakland, the expression of who we were, these jerseys are front and center, front of the head. “
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The Warriors wore the white version of the We Believe jerseys during the final regular season game at Oracle Arena in the 2018-19 season, but this is the first time the group has been able to wear a jersey that actually has Oakland written on it.
“The last time we wore them, the last regular season game 19 at Oracle, it was just an amazing moment bringing this back,” said Curry. “It is of course something special to have Oakland on your chest now. We have a lot of great memories there on this site [Bay] Bridge. Look out for this era of warrior basketball. And it’s obviously special to me because my beginner year; I was the only one on this team wearing them so it’s very special. “
