If you know me at all, you know how much the Golden State Warriors mean to me. Even if you don’t know me, you can probably figure out they mean a lot to me.
I didn’t play basketball growing up, but I was surrounded by it for what has felt like my entire life. My siblings all played at some point. Whether it was on a club, high school, or college team, I was constantly working my schedule around getting to a gym to watch their games. I grew to love the game of basketball. My dad was a referee when he was younger, so he always taught us the rules of the game and why certain calls were made (whether or not I agreed with it). He coached my brother’s teams for years. It was something that brought our family together and it made me feel connected to my siblings and my dad as the only kid who was never actually out on the court.
Basketball as a sport was obviously important to me but figuring out who my favorite NBA team was going to be wasn’t the smoothest journey.
From the time I can first recall memories, I remember watching the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls. I would sit with my dad and watch Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Kobe, Shaq, and Derek Fisher. I watched my dad scream and yell with excitement or frustration during games. I remember when it became all of us sitting around the TV, my dad, my brothers, even my mom and sister would join and as a family, and we watched basketball together.
My dad liked to tell stories. He told us about his childhood and growing up in Northern California. He has an older brother named Howard. Howard is 11 years older than my dad. When he was a kid, my Uncle Howard would take my dad to basketball games at Oracle Arena to watch the Golden State Warriors play. I heard so many stories of how cheap tickets were and how they would sit so close to the court because back then, no one monitored that. They lived in Alameda, which is a suburb of Oakland, Ca. So naturally, the Warriors were their team, but once my dad moved to Southern California, he traded rooting for the Warriors, for rooting for the Lakers so that was all I knew.
In 2009 I was 19 years old and starting to develop my own sense of self. I was mostly trying to navigate my way through figuring out who I actually was. I never set out to “find my own team” or go against everything I had been raised by, but one day I saw a video of a young basketball player who was getting a lot of recognition, and everything changed. He was small. He was skinny. He looked like a teenager. He had gotten his unknown college through March Madness and all the way to the Elite Eight the year before. He shot threes and made them, a lot. I was immediately hooked. I loved him. Not in a weird way, but something in me felt so extremely connected to this person that I couldn’t help but want to know everything about him and follow everything he was going to do. Also, his jersey number was 30; my favorite number is 3. It worked. He was it for me. I would root for him wherever he ended up from that moment on. It just so happened that in the 2009 NBA draft, with the 7th pick, the Golden State Warriors chose a point guard from Davidson College, Stephen Curry.
Steph Curry became a part of who I was. The Warriors became everything to me. I cared about them at a level that didn’t make a lot of sense. Mostly because they were not very good. Steph was injury prone, and his ankle was always keeping him from playing. I remember my friend and I bought tickets to see the Clippers play the Warriors on Halloween night in 2013. I wore my Steph shirt and was so excited. I think he played for a total of 3 minutes. I wasn’t upset though, I had been in the same room as him, I got to see my team, even if they lost.
As the years went on and the team slowly but surely improved, I stayed the course. I watched every game I could, and I forced the people in my life to watch them too. They didn’t have to root for the Warriors, but they had to accept that I was going to. I was working in a restaurant in my early 20’s and we thankfully had TV’s all around our bar. I remember on game days, my managers and the staff knew I would get distracted, and they could always find me in a corner watching the game. It was a mutual understanding by that point. I still go to great lengths to make sure I see as much of every game as possible. I have every streaming app on my phone and TV. I even managed to get a Bay Area cable network login so I could watch the games that aren’t nationally aired. I even leave work early to make sure I am home and watching the games from the comfort of my couch. So far none of my jobs or bosses have fought me on this, and for that I am so grateful.
Obviously after Steph was drafted, we added a few other key members of the team. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala were added within the first 5 years of Steph being there. I loved each of them immediately. The bond that I felt towards Steph carried over into each of these guys for different reasons. I appreciated that Iguodala was a vet and was open to letting the younger guys on the court shine but always teaching them and still killing it whenever he came off the bench. Draymond Green is fun. He’s vibrant and hostile and even though he frustrates me a lot, the way his game has improved over the years has shown that he is an all-time player. Klay is different. Klay is quiet and low key. He didn’t burst out onto the scene right away, so I feel like a lot of people didn’t get a good feel for him at first. Once he started getting recognized for his 3-point shooting, then things took off. The Splash Brothers were born. The best shooting backcourt ever was formed, and a bond was created.
The Warriors and I have been through a lot together. We dealt with the pain and heartbreak of getting so close to making it to the playoffs in those early years but not quite making it. We dealt with injuries and hoping Steph would be well enough to play. We dealt with a coaching change that we didn’t know would work or not. (Spoiler: it did) By 2015, we had a team that was not built of superstars, but it was solid. I knew every person on the team and before every single game I would, out loud and under my breath, quickly say good luck to each player.
“Good luck tonight, Steph”
“Good luck tonight, Klay”
“Good luck tonight, Draymond”
“Good luck tonight, Iggy”
“Good luck tonight, Bogut”
“Good luck tonight, Harrison Barnes”
“Good luck tonight, David Lee”
“Good luck tonight, Shaun Livingston”
“Good luck tonight, Barbosa”
“Good luck tonight, Festus Ezeli”
“Good luck tonight, Justin Holiday”
“Good luck tonight, Speights”
“Good luck tonight, Brandon Rush”
“Good luck tonight, James Michael McAdoo”
We won the championship. Our team beat everyone, and we won. I sat in awe. I was filled with absolute joy, I screamed a little bit and I cried. I felt like all of our hard work had paid off. We had really done it.
The next year we went 73-9 but lost the finals in 7 games to Lebron James and Cleveland. I was a recluse for about a week before I even let myself go on social media. It hit me hard. We put in all that work, we won all those games, just to ultimately lose.
When Kevin Durant joined the team in 2016, I was mad. I will go on record right now and stand by my feelings:
We. Did. Not. Need. Him.
Obviously, we don’t know if we would have won those championships without him, but I remember waking up on the morning of July 4, 2016, and my phone blowing up with messages from people telling me what was happening and asking my opinion. I wasn’t thrilled.
I don’t think I ever fully accepted that he was on the team. Which is an odd thing to say since he helped us get 2 more championships. I value those trophies and those years were incredible just like 2015 was. There was just something behind it all that felt not as cherished almost. That may not resonate with anyone but that’s how I felt.
We also added other players during those years that made me question what we were doing. JaVale McGee had been in the league for a while. I only knew him from winning 2 Shaqtin’ A Fool awards. I will be honest and say, I thought he was a joke and at the time, a lot of people would have agreed with me. What JaVale did during his time on the Warriors was incredible. He completely turned not only his image, around but his game and his skillset as well. By the time we won the ’17 & ‘18 championships, JaVale McGee was one of my favorite players on the team. I rooted for this man every time he was on the court. When it was announced in 2018 that he was leaving to go to the Lakers, I shed a tear. I remember I was in a bar with friends and the notification popped up on my phone. I read it in silence. I was happy for him, he was moving on, getting paid and teams now wanted him. I was just selfishly sad he wasn’t ours anymore. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Javale McGee, 3 x NBA Champ.
When 2019 came around, we were set up for a third consecutive championship. We were ready. We had all the key components, players and the experience needed to complete the three-peat. That wasn’t how the universe was going to let it play out though. Toronto was a great team. They played hard and it was a very tough series. We had injuries from the start, yes, but we still had the ability to win. In Game 5 Kevin Durant tore his Achilles. It was brutal. I remember sitting in my apartment watching this happen and just feeling everything shift and sink. I still had hope though. We had won without him before, remember? Three days later, during Game 6, Klay tore his ACL. I watched as he was helped off the court and I told myself it wasn’t that serious. He was going to be just fine. I also watched as he limped his way back onto the court to shoot his free throws with tears streaming down my face.
There have been other many Klay Thompson moments over the years that have changed me:
- In 2015 he scored 37 points in a single quarter. I watched in awe, unable to fully register what I was witnessing and how the entire time, it looked like the most fun game ever.
- In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in 2016, Klay dropped 11 three pointers and saved the Warrior’s from being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder. I was at a Mexican restaurant while on vacation in Palm Springs when this game happened. I was 3 or 4 margaritas in sitting at a bar and screaming with the guys next to me watching the birth of Game 6 Klay. I probably cried. I wouldn’t put it past me.
- On December 5, 2016, Klay had 60 points in 29 minutes on 11 dribbles. I know exactly where I was when this game took place. I was at a work event at the Bachelor Mansion (yes, that Bachelor Mansion) when I started getting texts from people freaking out making sure I was watching history being made. I dropped everything I was doing and pulled the game up on my phone, sat in a corner and smiled while I watched Klay make history.
- Headband Klay and a new NBA record for most 3-pointers in a game (14) were both born on October 29, 2018, and I was screaming my little heart out along with the rest of the world.
Klay getting hurt was a huge blow. It took all of the wind and momentum out of the team as a unit. We were fully broken at that point. Although losing the finals and watching the Raptors celebrate their championship wasn’t as hard as when Cleveland won. I sat there and watched it all. I knew this wouldn’t ever happen again. I knew there wasn’t a reality where these guys and this team would ever be in this position again and not be able to win it all.
My undying and unwavering faith in this team is unhealthy. I know that. I am aware. However, it’s a part of who I am, and it’s rooted so far down in my soul that I don’t know how else to be a fan of theirs. I watched as they struggled the next season. I watched every game and I truly believed they could win. They won a grand total of 15 games.
After the first losing season in a long time, they made some changes. I cried when they traded Iguodala. I sat on my bedroom floor and lost it because I didn’t think that was the right move. We added new, younger players that I didn’t know much about like Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, and Juan Toscano-Anderson. We also added D’Angelo Russell and Andrew Wiggins.
Covid hit in the middle of the 2019- 2020 season and the whole world stopped. The NBA season was suspended on March 11, 2020, and the Warriors didn’t play another game. Steph had been injured, the team wasn’t working, and the world was falling apart. I accepted it and I kept my faith. I knew that once Klay was better, we would be back.
Except Klay didn’t come back. He got hurt again. He was out for another year. My heart shattered, again.
The next year we won 39 games. We had gotten Steph back and even made the Western Conference Play-In Game (twice), but it wasn’t enough. We lost (twice) and didn’t make the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row. It was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Personally, I wasn’t in a very good place during this season. My dad had died suddenly from Covid in December of 2020 and my life felt like it didn’t make sense anymore.
I remember when I wrote my essay about my dad and how it made me realize how much my love of basketball was directly related to wanting a better relationship with him. Not being athletic or ever having him as a coach was hard for me. I needed to find something that brought us together. Basketball and this team did that…in a way.
Did he switch teams again later in life and start rooting for the Clippers when the Lakers stopped being good? Yes.
Did that absolutely infuriate me and cause us to have blow-out screaming matches on nights the Clippers played the Warriors? You bet it did.
I don’t like bandwagon fans and he openly admitted to being that. I couldn’t respect it. I always made sure he knew that.
Did he and I argue and fight every time his team wasn’t in the playoffs but the Warriors were and yet he would choose to put pre-season baseball on the TV and refuse to change the channel because it was “baseball season”? Yes. 100%.
I will never apologize for the absolute blood baths this caused in our household. I would give anything to have those fights with him again. I would sit and watch a million Clipper games with him if I could now. I would openly hate it and happily tell him how terrible they, but I would do it. I never knew that those moments of awfulness, anger, and frustration would become some of the moments I missed the most about my dad. Ultimately, I was right, basketball did its job and brought us together.
My uncle Howard ended up reading my essay about my dad. He and I had never been very close, but he called me one day and we talked for a long time. We talked about my dad, we cried and comforted each other. Then we started talking about basketball. He told me story after story about how he would take my dad to games with him when they were growing up. He told me memories of players, certain games, and important moments in history. We talked about how awful our team currently was, we talked about how good they could be. We shared our hope for Klay to get better and for our team to be whole again soon. That phone call lead to a new normal for us. During that ‘20- 21 season, we started texting after every game. At first it was just a casual check in to make sure we had each watched. It then grew into full blown discussions and analysis of players, plays, calls, and the games as a whole. It became special and I looked forward to it. I got to talk to my uncle almost every day. We started talking more about things that didn’t revolve around the Warriors or basketball and we would have phone calls just to catch up. He got to come visit us and I went to go visit him in Oregon after years of not seeing each other. I built a relationship with my 75-year-old uncle because of our love of basketball and because of our love for this team. I never got to root for the same team as my dad as an adult, but I’m ok with that now. My dad made sure that the brother that he would text after every game and the daughter that he sat with during every game found each other and could bond over loving him and loving the Warriors.
The 2021- 22 season started with a bang. We had Steph, Draymond, and Iguodala back, healthy, and ready to go. We were getting Klay back at some point and we had hope for the first time in a long time. Our first game of the season was against the Lakers. The Warriors won and Steph had his first triple double of the season. Things looked really good. Starting the season off as well as we did was so much fun. I am not a competitive person at all, but with this team, I lose my mind. If you are ever lucky enough to be in the presence of me fully engrossed in a game, it’s a sight to see. I talk to myself a lot; I talk to the guys a lot. I give a lot of good advice and motivation when things get rough. I yell a lot of things, good and bad. I contort my body into weird shapes on the couch or floor depending on what’s going on. This is also why I struggle with watching games out in public. I need the freedom to fully be myself and let myself feel every moment. This is not to say I don’t ever watch games in public. I do and I manage to control myself. I just prefer to be at home letting my crazy out.
There were a lot of highlights during this past season both on and off the court. I think going through the top moments for me and showing how a basketball team and the games I watch them play bleeds into my life is important for the full impact of all of this.
12/11/2021- Uncle Howard and I watch a Warriors’ Game Together for the First Time
This was the day after the 1-year anniversary of my dad dying. This was the actual day of my dad’s funeral. The Warriors lost. But Howard and I got to sit on my couch and watch them lose together. We got to live out all of our texts in real life. We got to complain and cheer together. I sat there and understood how special it was that after so many years of not having a relationship with my uncle, I got to be with him and experience the one thing we both love the most. Even if they lost.
12/14/2021- Stephen Curry Breaks the 3pt Record against the NY Knicks
The hype for this record to be broken started when Steph was 16 threes away. It was an actual possibility for him to make that many in one game, so everyone had to be ready. I remember feeling so anxious before every game during this time. I wanted him so badly to get it, but I didn’t want him to sacrifice the team for it. It felt like so much pressure and I think eventually he was able to focus on the game as a whole and let the threes come. (Again, I talk as if I know these people and am in their heads and mindsets) The night of the Knicks game felt right. There was so much press and hype surrounding him and this moment. He broke the record with his 2nd three of the night in the first quarter. The game stopped. Everyone took in the moment. He was emotional, we were all emotional. I sat and watched my favorite player break a massive NBA record that I realized I had watched him achieve throughout his entire career. It was such an amazing moment for him, for the team, and for me. Obviously sitting on my couch in tears.
12/18/2021- The Night I Met Klay Thompson
I’ve never written about this. I’ve only really told this story to a few of my close friends. It’s so special to me and I have zero documentation to prove that this night even happened. I have friends that can vouch for me, but otherwise this memory has lived in my mind and my heart, and I’m ok with that. J has a friend (who is also my friend) who personally knows Klay. I don’t remember how they know each other; I just know they do. I probably blacked out during that story. I’ve known this fact for a few years and haven’t completely lost my shit being one degree away from someone that means so much to me. Go me.
We went to a pop-up for our friend’s clothing company. We brought Boone. I was told Klay would probably be there. I was silent the entire 45 minutes we drove down to the beach. I didn’t know what to do, think, or say. This wasn’t an opportunity for me to express my love for him. This was going to be a chill night with friends, and I wanted to respect that. I told myself to be my normal, very calm, cool, and collected self and everything would be fine.
It was a very small room with only a handful of people. Our friends were there, and they introduced us to people we didn’t know. Klay was in the back and eventually came out to join the group.
Being around someone you admire is weird. I’ve been around “famous” people before. That’s how it is being in the industry I work in. You get used to seeing people that are well known. You have your inner freak out and then it’s not that big of a deal after a while. This was different. When I realized that I was in the same tiny room as someone who had been such a huge part of my life for so long, someone who I had watched on my happiest days, who I had watched on my darkest days to make me feel better, someone who I had felt the pain of his injuries with and the heartbreak of losing with, as well as the immense and pure joy of winning, it all hit me. I was standing next to someone who I felt as though I had grown up with and who had been there for me through everything. I felt a sense of calm and comfort around him. Like I could just walk up to him, and he’d know me. He’d thank me for my years of dedicated, never-wavering support. He’d ask my opinion on the season so far. He’d let me know how rehab was going and when he was coming back. (He did mention to someone that it was coming soon and that he couldn’t wait to get back.) I just couldn’t have been happier than I was in that small room with him standing in it as well. I didn’t need to talk to him. I felt like I had what I needed.
Now, during my blackout of emotions, J had Boone’s leash. He was in a group of guys talking when he called me over and told me I should take Boone out to go pee. He had just taken Boone out though, so I questioned him. He insisted. I said fine reluctantly and walked Boone outside. Sitting on the bench outside was Klay. He was alone and on his phone. J had seen him go outside, been the ultimate wingman, and forced me into a possible meeting with someone I adored. I will forever be grateful for that.
I didn’t want to bug so I walked Boone in the opposite direction without drawing any attention to us. I spoke to my dog telepathically at this point. We do that sometimes. I told Boone to act normal. Which, for Boone, is tough. I told him how cool this was for me. I told him while he peed how happy I was just being here. We started walking back towards the shop, towards the bench, towards Klay. I again, telepathically spoke to my dog. I told him that he had a choice to make. He could walk up the stairs to the left and go inside where everyone was. Or he could walk straight, directly towards Klay Thompson. I let the leash go loose in my hand and left everything up to Boone. Who very clearly knows how to read my mind because he walked right up to Klay and started begging for attention. Klay pet Boone. Klay smiled and loved on my dog. He asked what breed he was, I told him. He asked his name, I told him. He said he loved his ears and that he was such a cool dog. I just smiled. Once he had pet Boone for a while, he glanced up at me and asked me what my name was. I told him. He then said, “Hi, I’m Klay. It’s really nice to meet you.” To which I responded, “It’s so nice to meet you too, Klay.”
And that was it.
Did I want to actually tell him that I loved him? Did I want to express how much he meant to me? Did I want to ask him to walk me through all my favorite Warriors moments and tell me about everyone on the team and what they were like in real life? Yea, obviously I wanted to say those things. But I chose to withhold the crazy and be a normal human being. Keep the crazy on the inside and let it out when you’re alone.
He pet Boone for a while longer, and Boone had the best time getting loved on by him. I got to watch one of my favorite players in the world share a moment with my favorite thing in the world.
It was fucking wild.
I eventually pulled Boone away and walked back into the shop to where I immediately met J’s gaze. We shared a moment of happy, smiling, silence knowing that I had just checked something off my bucket list. Klay left shortly after that. When we finally decided to head out, we thanked our friends for such a great night, they congratulated me on a dream come true and we got in our car. I told J everything. I told him all of what that encounter meant to me, how I felt and what I was feeling right then. I looked in his eyes and saw pure joy. It broke me down. He was so, so happy for me. I started crying. I started laughing at the same time, I couldn’t help it. I had been holding in so much for so long and I could finally let it out. He just held me while I laugh/cried all my feelings out.
Do I think Klay Thompson will have this much of a clear memory of meeting the girl with the basset hound at a Mulch pop up in San Clemente? No. And that’s totally fine. I will have it forever and now when we watch him play on TV, I get to look at Boone and know he loved on my dog. How cool is that.
1/9/2022- Klay Day in the Bay
We knew it was coming. Klay had said it was close, but to see the videos, montages, tweets, and announcements flood in that said, in print, “Klay Thompson to make his return tonight” was something else. It honestly felt like the entire basketball world was celebrating. We were all filled with joy and excitement, and it felt as though things were beginning to feel whole again. I had been sick for most of Christmas break, and I believe I used this day as an excuse to fully get myself together. I had to look good and feel good in order for the day to be good. I showered, I did my hair and makeup, I put on clothes that could not be mistaken for pajamas and topped it off with my vintage Warriors starter jacket. I went out and joined my brothers and our friends and watched the game. It was amazing. You could feel the excitement in the arena, you could hear the “Warriors!” chants happening, and everything felt right again. They announced the starting lineup and left Klay for last, Draymond even started the game despite being injured just so he could be on the floor with Klay and Steph together for that moment. Watching his shots go in, watching the team feel complete again, it was amazing to sit and watch. This player had suffered 2 back-to-back injuries in the prime of his career, but that didn’t deter him from his love of the game. He worked so hard to get back to a place where playing again was possible, and now he was on the court with his team, looking and playing as though he had never left. Klay had 17 points and the Warriors beat the Cavaliers. Everything was right in the world on this day. It was perfect.
6/16/2022- Warrior’s win their 4th NBA Championship
This was my favorite one.
I have reasons for this.
Personal to me, and for the team itself.
I think that after winning those first 3 championships, then having to go through so much hardship and turmoil just to have a complete team for the first time in years, having 2 losing seasons filled with frustration, doubts, and injuries, and still find it within yourself to come out on top says so much. It says that these guys, from the superstars down to the rookies and bench players, all played a part in keeping their hope and motivation alive. This team never gave up or let there be a reason for them to accept the fate the world had given them. They played the game their way and it paid off. Steph, Klay, and Draymond became the first trio with 21 Finals wins together. That’s an incredible feat when you consider they have only made the finals 6 times in the last 8 years. Everything this team did and went through during this season only brought them closer together and closer to their ultimate goal. When the finals started and the stats started flooding in, the Warriors were the underdogs. The Celtics had the upper hand in this, and it was fun to watch. I felt as though after game 4, Steph really showed that he could do it all. He had one of the biggest games of his career and you could feel the shift happen. You could feel the fact that he knew he had been doubted as a leader, so he stepped up. The team responded by joining him and it all fell into place. The emotion that came pouring out of this man once the final buzzer sounded in game 6 and they had accomplished all that they set out to do was so intense and pure that you couldn’t help but feel it as well. They were all so happy. They had proven so many people wrong and did it in the best way possible. Together, as a team.
When the Warriors won the championship, I was sitting on my couch, hugging my dog, and texting my uncle. My family was congratulating me for the win and all the hard work I had put into this season, and it all felt right. I remember sitting for a while feeling all the joy you possibly could while watching your team celebrate. They had their championship shirts and hats on, and I watched as a fan who has seen all sides to loving a team as much as I do. I watched Stephen Curry finally win Finals MVP and his teammates celebrate him for the leader and person that he is. I watched Draymond, Klay and Igoudala get to hold the trophy for the 4th time together. I watched Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and the new guys experience this for the first time and know that this will only make them want this feeling over and over again. As a fan, I took this all in and it was the coolest experience. I’ve now watched my team win 4 times, but like I said, this was the best one for me.
I’ve been through a lot in the last year. My life has changed and shifted in ways I never even thought was possible. I have had to pick myself up and show not only myself, but everyone else in my life that I am strong. I have gone through things and had to adjust to curveballs and extremely emotional situations. I have done all of those things and as weird as it sounds, knowing that one of the constant parts of my life was this team has helped me. I always knew that whether a day was good or bad for me mentally, I had a game to watch. (Obviously not every single day but there are a lot of games in a season)
Sitting there on the couch watching that final game during a time when I was more heartbroken, sad, and confused and only being able to feel happiness and joy was such a nice change of pace. I went out alone that night and drove for a bit. I sang my favorite songs in the car; I picked up some really good food and I just let myself feel. I had just dealt with my relationship ending a month before, and I had just turned 32 less than 2 weeks before, both things I would normally spiral out of control over. And yet, I was happy. I cried tears of joy. I yelled. I felt it all.
The Warriors don’t know me personally, they don’t play the game for me personally and they don’t win championships for me personally. What they do is give me a sense of belonging, they give me something to bond with my uncle about, and they give my exes reasons to text me congratulations when they win championships.
I will forever love this team, these players, and the feeling of joy I have when I get to talk about them.
From the girl who was never athletic enough to play basketball, this is my love letter to a basketball team that has and will continue to shape and change my life.
Thank you, Warriors, for everything.
