Photo credit: (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
~ By Pearl Allison Lo
~ June 19, 2015
OAKLAND– Around 500,000 fans repping the blue and gold with different slogans, signs and jerseys, showed up for the Golden State Warriors’ first championship in 40 years, with a parade, followed by a rally.
It has been four and a half years since the Bay Area had a similar championship void filled, that being the San Francisco Giants. Mentioning the Warriors’ past woes, co-owner Joe Lacob said,”I’m not sure many people can say they’ve been booed by 20,000 people and cheered by millions.”
At 10am, the San Jose Mercury News reported, the top Bart station of entry so far was Fremont with 9,717 entries. The Fremont Bart line for tickets wrapped around the parking lot before it split into two, some people waiting an hour. Then suddenly, without notice, fans were allowed to pass through the without a ticket, as people scrambled excitedly to get on their way to Oakland.
Chants of “Warriors!” were interspersed throughout the day.
During the parade, which began at 12th and Broadway, signs with names were put on the different modes of transportation, as blue and gold confetti filled the air. For the players, that included their number and their Twitter account names. It was usually two players, one in the front and one in the back of the open-air high-rise vehicles. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but David Lee and Shaun Livingston were sitting opposite their names. Adonal Foyle was also there. Stephen Curry, accompanied with daughter Riley and wife Ayesha among others, entered to the chants of “MVP!” and “Curry!” repeatedly.
Non-Warriors notable appearances were MC Hammer on Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s famous fire-breathing snail car and Marshawn Lynch rolling with Draymond Green on his float.
After the parade, fans made the at least 2 mile trek to the rally, according to a newscast, because of road closures. Musical performances could be heard alongside car honk cheering and sausages, some covered with bacon, looked like the popular choice for hungry fans.
The rally was held at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center next to Lake Merritt, where an audible splash was heard.
Big screens were put up showing interviews being given before the rally, which started at 12pm, fans impatient for it to start.
At 12:11pm, there was a shooting incident blocks away where three people were hurt.
Mayor Schaaf gave the team a key to the city made at the Crucible, a nonprofit industrial arts school.
Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty lauded the Warriors style, “work hard, be humble and get the job done.”
Coach Steve Kerr started talking at about 1pm and traded jokes with Draymond Green. “I had to teach Draymond in nine months to become confident, rational, talk trash to the other team, his coach, his mother, to be a general pain in the butt…Sorry, I got carried away.”
Green said, “Every time I take a shot, Steve Kerr complains. Every time I make a shot I look at him. Twenty-four percent, but I got a ring.”
Andre Iguodala was not too behind with the levity. “What an amazing experience. I canceled my tee time this morning, so it must have been something important for me to cancel my tee time.
Riley made an indistinguishable sound at the podium and Curry said, “We’re going to suit up in three more months and try to do it again.”
On the way back walking to the Bart, a balloon simply expressing ‘Thank You’ could be seen and a guy announced, “when I say Dub, you say nation, Dub, nation!”
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