The Oakland Warriors

The Golden State Warriors have been breaking records left and right this season, but their biggest accomplishment of the season occurred just last night when they tied the record for having the most wins in one regular season with the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors, especially Coach Steve Kerr who was a player for the Bulls when the record was set, have been keeping a humble approach while breaking record after record. In reference to beating the Bulls record of most wins in a single season Coach Kerr says, “Yeah, it’d be nice to get. We’d like to get it,” but he’s sure not to be overly confident.

Number 23, Draymond Green, who is known for his outspoken and joking personality is keeping it real about his desire to break the record. After tying the record with 72 wins this season Green told reporters, “It feels great, that’s something I’ve wanted bad...seventy-three gon feel a lot better.”

The Warriors brought home a Championship title to the city of Oakland in the summer of 2015 giving many ride or die, win or lose fans much joy. Before the Warriors became a record breaking team worth talking about, Oakland was typically only in the news when being featured on the crime rate and dangers of the city. Many Oakland residents are happy about the positive attention and energy the Warriors are bringing, but some are still not satisfied with the NBA franchise’s strategic ways to not give Oakland much recognition.

When the Golden State Warriors were first established in 1946, they were known as the “Philadelphia Warriors” and when they made the move to San Francisco in 1962 they were called the “San Francisco Warriors.” They had jersey’s that had San Francisco’s official name as well as “The City” with a skyline. However, when the Warriors made their move to Oakland in 1971 San Francisco was dropped, but instead of being the Oakland Warriors the team switched to the generic title of the “Golden State Warriors.”

Additionally, when the Warriors play home games at the Oracle Arena, which is in the center of Oakland, images of San Francisco are always shown. The only time Oakland is really given any recognition is when the players themselves talk about the energy of the fans in Oakland and how full of pride the city is.

The Warriors scheduled move back to San Francisco at the beginning of the 2018-2019 season has created a lot of controversy with the fans and specifically Oakland native fans. When the Warriors were terrible for decades San Fransisco did not care to have them back, but now that they are a more lucrative team they are leaving Oakland. Some fear that the name will be changed back to the San Francisco Warriors, but owners of the team have reassured that will not be the case.

As a Warriors fan and a proud Oakland resident, I am hopeful that Oakland will receive a lot more credit as a great city that housed the Warriors for over 4 decades before they make the move back to San Francisco.