Where is Golden State, exactly? It’s a fair question. Warriors guard Klay Thompson didn’t know the answer when the franchise drafted him in 2011, after all.
Of course, as far as the NBA is concerned, it’s in the Bay Area. But while the Warriors have a new arena in San Francisco, Golden State reached incredible heights in the 2010s in Oakland at Oracle Arena, now simply known as Oakland Arena.
Superstar Stephen Curry moved to “The Town” when the then downtrodden club drafted him at No. 7 overall, a move that eventually turned the Warriors into a juggernaut, thanks to Curry’s brilliance and a host of other fantastic moves (including drafting Thompson).
Curry’s Warriors won three NBA titles in Oakland and cemented Oracle Arena as one of the most famed venues in league history. Curry himself won two NBA MVPs — one of them unanimous — while living and breathing all things Oakland.
So it’s no surprise that Curry still has the utmost love for The Town. In an expansive profile piece on Curry in The Ringer, Curry expressed that sentiment and more, going as far as to suggest the Warriors play a game at the famed “Roaracle” Arena once a year “for the hell of it.”
First, this quote from Curry says it all. His love for Oakland runs deep.
“Everything that we accomplished, and everything I know about myself as an NBA player was built with the love of Oakland behind me,” Curry says.
The Ringer/Logan Murdock
That’s pretty awesome. That provides the kind of Town pride that you can’t put a number on (take note, Oakland city officials, as you decide the fate of the Oakland Athletics).
So it’s no surprise that Curry’s mind still wonders across the Bay water as the Warriors continue their title hunt in San Francisco.
But as he strives for another title elsewhere, his mind occasionally drifts back over the Bay Bridge. “From what people know me on the court, and this journey with the Warriors, it was built in Oakland,” he says “It’s bittersweet for sure because everything changes and evolves.”
“What we should do is have one game every year where we go back to Oracle,” [Curry] says. “Just for the hell of it.”
The Ringer/Logan Murdock
Can you imagine how much of a party that game would be? It would be an East Bay love fest of epic proportions, year after year.
These quotes provide incredible insight into how much Curry loves his first Bay Area home. He calls the Warriors’ move to San Francisco bittersweet, and you can feel it with every word.
But as far as Curry’s idea to play one game a year at Oracle, it’s not that far out. The Warriors are called “Golden State” because the franchise was a bit of a barnstorming club when it came to the West Coast — with no concrete home, playing at different venues in the Bay Area and even San Diego.
So I’m all for it. This is the Bay Area’s team, and there’s absolutely no reason Oracle — sadly, now simply called Oakland Arena — should be deprived of Curry’s Warriors, especially when there’s so much love for the team in The Town, and with all the love Curry rightfully has for his East Bay roots.
Bay Area Sports Hub 