The Golden State Warriors now live in San Francisco, 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 five times in the Finals NBA inside the Oracle Arena – remains stronger than ever. These roots were clear as Warriors staff discussed what it meant for them to wear their new “Oakland Forever” jerseys – with Oakland emblazoned on their chests – that will debut during Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
“This is fire,” the Warriors striker Draymond Green said during a video conference with reporters after Monday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. “You know, I hang out with Oakland; this is my second home. The soul of our team comes from Oakland. That’s just what it is. The soul of this organization is built in Oakland; that’s just the reality.”
The T-shirts, which the “We Believe” warriors made famous during a 2007 playoff, are blue, with Oakland gold lettering, with an orange outline. These are part of the City Edition collection that Nike gathers every year throughout the league.
“I like the jerseys,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Tuesday’s practice. “I think they’re very good-looking and the fact that they say Oakland on them is just wonderful. I will forever have five years of incredible memories of playing at Oracle and practicing in Oakland every day at our unit, living in East Bay.
“Those guys are right: Oakland will always be a huge part of our identity and our roots. We’re a Bay Area team. Obviously, the team played in San Francisco before they played in Oakland, so we’re very proud. “But Oakland will always have a special place in our hearts.”
The Warriors moved into their new home, the San Francisco Chase Center, before the 2019-20 season. While staff members understood the relocation, given the massive income opportunities in the bright new building, which cost more than $ 1 billion to build, it was difficult for many to leave East Bay because of their affinity for the community they they grew up calling her home.
For Warriors star Stephen Curry, the shirts are a reminder of his NBA debut. The Warriors took the Davidson product with the seventh pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, making him the last player on the current roster to wear the “We Believe” jersey in his first season in the league.
“There were fires,” Curry said Monday night, referring in this case to what those unions did. “But this was the old material; they were hard as hell. That was the only thing I remember; you put them on, compared to the way I do them now, it’s night and day. But the look is so classic. When you think of old school, you think of this franchise, Oakland, the expression of what we were, those T-shirts are in front and in the center, in front of the mind. “
The Warriors wore the white version of the “We Believe” T-shirts during the regular season finale game at the Oracle Arena during the 2018-19 season, but this will be the first time the group can wear a T-shirt that actually says Oakland on it.
“The last time I wore them, the last game of the ’19 regular season at Oracle, was just an amazing time to bring them back,” Curry said. “Obviously, having Oakland on your chest now is special. We have a lot of great memories there on that side of [Bay] Bridge. Respect that era of Warrior basketball. And obviously it’s special to me, since my freshman year; I was the only one on this team who wore them, so it’s pretty special. “