Jun 19, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; A double-decker bus travels down the street during the Golden State Warriors 2015 championship celebration in downtown Oakland. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
By: Yama Hazheer
Maybe it was something that we weren’t expecting so soon after new ownership took over, but it happened.
Waking up and knowing I was going to Oakland for a Golden State Warriors Championship parade Friday morning was surreal and I know that the hundreds of thousands in attendance were just as excited.
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From crowded BART trains to the beautiful weather, the aroma of a parade was in the air and everyone was ready to celebrate something the Bay Area basketball scene hasn’t seen in four decades: an NBA Championship.
There were several memorable moments during the rally that took place following the parade across downtown Oakland. The impressive crowd was rewarded with great speeches and will have unforgettable pictures in their head of the long-awaited event.
Marshawn Lynch was a surprise guest during the parade. He was in the same float as Draymond Green and he even had a very candid interview with Rosalyn Gold-Onwude and Mary Babers-Green. It was cool to see Lynch happy for his hometown and he showed the joy that’s instilled in all of Dub Nation for this title.
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Lacob was passionate. It’s crazy to know that he was being booed loudly just a few years ago after trading Monta Ellis and now giving a speech beside the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Jim Barnett gave each Warriors player proper credit prior to giving their own speeches. He was the ideal guy to do so. Bob Fitzgerald was his typical Bob Fitzgerald self and did a solid job during the presentation.
Steve Kerr continues to impress with his phenomenal microphone presence. Draymond Green had the speech of the day, though. He dragged Kerr on stage and cracked jokes. He talked longer than anyone else, but every second was entertaining and worthy of watching several more times.
Klay Thompson joked that he has never been on a team where he hasn’t been the best shooter and that he wanted to hate Stephen Curry, but just couldn’t because he’s so nice. Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala gave a humble speech and Stephen Curry ended it on the right note.
Riley Curry did appear on the microphone after using her father’s phone during most of the speeches. She had some cute stage fright and wasn’t able to talk in front of hundreds of thousands of fans. Nonetheless, it was adorable and Steph talked about being known as “Riley’s father” ever since her breakout to the national scene.
There are many, many moments of the parade and rally that just can’t be written about and was one hell of an in-person experience. The memories will last in the hearts of Warriors’ fans forever.
The Warriors weren’t shy about expressing how they want to win the title again next season and how it’s possible to do.
When a team goes 83-20, has only four home losses, and didn’t lose more than two games in a row, they are going to be destined for greatness. The core pieces will remain with the blue and gold. Bob Myers has publically said that he plans to bring Draymond Green back no matter what.
Remember where you were during the parade. Remember who was with you. Remember the day in general. Nothing is promised, so we don’t know when it will happen again.
But knowing the Warriors, we could see more parades in the near future.