You don’t hear it as much as years past, but the question has been asked possibly a million times.
What/where is Golden State? It’s not a town. It’s not a city. What’s going on here? In fact, Warriors guard Klay Thompson didn’t know where the Golden State Warriors played home games when he was drafted by the franchise.
Well, that’s all settled now. The Warriors are internationally known, and they moved from Oakland, their home for 47 seasons, to San Francisco’s Chase Center in late 2019.
But according to Warriors power forward Draymond Green, the soul of the club originates in the East Bay.
The subject came up because the Warriors are set to wear their new “Oakland Forever” jerseys on Wednesday against the Spurs. The jerseys say “Oakland” on the front and have a color scheme similar to what the Warriors wore from 1997 to 2010 (although there were two different versions of that jersey. One had a thunder bolt down the side and one didn’t).
Here’s superstar Stephen Curry showcasing the new gear, courtesy of NBA on TNT.
And here are Green’s full comments, courtesy of Warriors on NBCS.
It’s no surprise Green claims Oakland as the soul of the Warriors. The franchise won four championships in “The Town,” including all three won with Green, Curry, Klay Thompson, coach Steve Kerr and others.
Although it must be said that this isn’t the first time San Francisco has been the home of the Warriors. They were the San Francisco Warriors from 1962 to 1971. They then moved to Oakland and won a title there in 1975, led by the great Rick Barry and an unselfish group of players that complimented the Hall of Famer exceptionally well.
Oakland will always be a part of the Warriors’ home ground, as the ownership made clear with the jerseys set to debut on Wednesday. Some might complain that the jerseys never said Oakland when they actually plaed in Oakland. And that’s a fair gripe.
But my only grumble is the color scheme on the jersey. I know that the colors are the same as the years noted above, which include the “We Believe” team of 2007. But the orange was originally included to represent San Francisco. It was called “Golden Gate Orange,” or something close to that. Ironic, no?
But it’s all love. The entire Bay Area is happy the Warriors represent them. And it’s clear that Oakland is part of the franchise’s history and legacy.
(Photo credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
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