It was a place the Warriors called home for 47 seasons, and even though the team now plays 10 miles to the west, The Town is and will forever be part of the Warriors’ DNA.
It’s where the league’s most passionate fanbase embraced a franchise. It’s where that franchise won three championships in a span of four seasons, part of five straight trips to the NBA Finals.
This is for OAKLAND. And this is FOREVER.
When the Warriors unveiled their Oakland Forever jerseys last month, it was only fitting that Stephen Curry was the face of the campaign. Yes, he’s a three-time NBA Champion and two-time NBA MVP, but it goes deeper than that. While Curry was drafted by the Warriors two years after that historic “We Believe” season, he, as the team’s elder statesman, is the only player on the team to have sported the same style of jerseys sported by the likes of Baron, Stack Jack, J-Rich and Monta. When the Warriors were playing the final games at Oracle Arena in 2019, Curry celebrated several Warriors legends and former teammates by wearing their jersey upon entering the arena, saving a tribute to former fan favorite Monta Ellis for the regular season home finale.
Furthermore, Oakland is the Curry family’s adoptive home. Stephen and his wife Ayesha Curry’s work community through their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation continues to benefit youth and families in The Town. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Curry’s foundation has provided over 12 million meals and delivered nearly 2 million pounds of fresh produce to those in need in the Oakland area.
Entering his 12th NBA season, Curry and his Warriors teammates will sport this Oakland Forever uniform several times during the 2020-21 campaign, with dates to be announced soon. And when they wear those jerseys at home, they’ll play on a custom-made “Oakland Forever” court at Chase Center.
As for the jersey, fans can purchase them at the Warriors Shop at Thrive City. Although the jerseys are available for pre-order at shop.warriors.com, the limited holiday run of jerseys at the Thrive City location will provide fans the only chance to have this modern take on the original “We Believe” jersey in hand before Christmas. Plus, those who get the jersey, or items from the corresponding apparel line, will earn 10 percent cash back on their Warriors Shop purchases with Rakuten!
The Oakland Forever jersey has visual elements that nod to an era that will forever be beloved in Dub Nation. It marked a turning point in basketball history in Oakland. To honor this era, the Dubs partnered with Nike to remix the iconic “We Believe” uniform into an anthem to carry this legacy forward.
When the “lightning-bolt” wordmark first dropped in the late ’90s, it was a bold new direction in design for the Warriors. The legendary mark has been updated for this Oakland Forever jersey while still maintaining the integrity and energy of the original design.
Going down the sides of the jersey and continuing through the sides of the shorts is a subtle, yet dynamic gold trim that provides the final splash to this faithful recreation. Look closer and you’ll see the phrase “We Believe” repeatedly printed within that trim, yet another reminder of the 2006-07 Warriors team that became the first eighth place team in NBA history to beat a No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven playoff series. After winning 16 of their final 21 games just to earn the final playoff berth in the Western Conference, the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks, winners of an NBA-best 67 games that season, in the first round playoff series, 4-2.
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Although the look of this jersey is inspired by that “We Believe” era, it really is more of a celebration of Oakland, and the team’s ongoing commitment to The Town. Although the Warriors now play their home games at Chase Center, a privately financed arena on the shores of San Francisco’s Mission Bay, Oakland is, in the words of Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, “forever part of this franchise’s identity.”
“The Oakland Forever campaign, in partnership with Rakuten, will deepen our ties and impact in Oakland through a dedicated focus on community efforts, advancing educational equity, and providing safe access to health and wellness resources.”
The Warriors’ former headquarters in Downtown Oakland is now the home base of the Golden State Warriors Basketball Academy, the organization’s youth basketball hub that features basketball camps, personal training and more. Upstairs from the basketball facility is the Warriors Community Foundation’s Generation Thrive, a first-of-its-kind non-profit hub developed in partnership with Kaiser Permanente that supports the effectiveness of non-profits and schools, and activates at the intersection of education, wellness, and skill-building for Bay Area teachers and educators.
Beyond Generation Thrive, the Warriors’ community efforts in Oakland have only intensified since the team began playing its home games in San Francisco. The Warriors Community Foundation has increased its philanthropic grants to support educational equity in Alameda County in each of the last seven years and recently awarded over $1 million in grants to East Bay non-profits.
The Warriors’ work in the community will continue with an Oakland Forever themed basketball court renovation in Oakland this spring.
Whether it be the special edition uniforms and hardwood at Chase Center for select games, or the organization’s community presence in and around the East Bay, Oakland is more than just a “town” of historical significance for the Warriors. It continues to be at the essence of the Warriors’ fabric.
