The Golden State Warriors have completed their fourth championship in eight years with a win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The Warriors are celebrating a championship parade in Oakland for the first time. The previous three championship parades snaked through Oakland.
East Bay fans have felt some frustration because the team’s decision to move across the bay has led to a frustrating 2019 season.
At 6:30 a.m., Market Street was already filled with people and cars. Shouts of “Warriors” echoed in celebration off the sides of the concrete corridor. Car horns were blasting in celebrations.
Francisco Vasquez and Carlos Morales made their way up to San Jose, spending the early morning hours on the road.
“My wife is still mad,” Vasquez said. “We got up this morning at 3.”
Danielle Martinez woke up at 3:30 in the morning to get her front row spot for the Golden State Warriors Championship Parade. The Warriors won their fourth NBA Championship in eight years on Monday, June 20th, 2022.
32 year-old Ivan Chavarria wore a Klay Thompson jersey as he boarded a BART train to go into San Francisco.
He talked about living in Oakland, and the tough times he saw as a child. He was surprised by four championships in eight years.
He said, “I never thought we’d be this good.” It’s unbelievable.
He said wearing Thompson’s jersey helped him to learn more about his own personal journey. The sentence is now focusing on one thought instead of two.
“He said, ‘I tore my own ACL in my knee playing soccer,’ he added. ‘I watched a lot of his videos about his comeback and listened to what he would say about it. It inspired me to get back.”
Patty Kwea was one of many fans clad in blue and gold hopping on a BART train in Walnut Creek after her drive in from Dixon.
Kwea said, “It’s not like we haven’t done this before. But this is the sweetest.”
Market Street was filled with people who wanted to celebrate their love for sweets. Mia Barton and her son were two of those people, and they had a sign right there on the street to remind everyone why they were celebrating.
Klay Thompson was surprised at how much passion he had on the mic after the Warriors sealed the championship.
Danielle Martinez of Santa Cruz woke up at 3:30 this morning to get her front-row spot along Market Street. Danielle took a photograph with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr during the team’s 2018 championship parade and held a sign asking for another picture with Kerr to commemorate the latest title.
At 4th and Market, San Francisco residents Roy and Sandra Siu had front-row seats with their daughter, Penny, two hours before the scheduled start. Penny Sou made a sign that said “Gold Blooded” before they left.
The Warriors’ family members said that they are partial to every Warrior but point to Stephen Curry as the team has achieved great success.
“I hear all the time about Joe Montana, but I’m 36 so not old enough to remember him real well,” Roy Siu said. “This is our Joe, and we’ve been really lucky to see him play his whole career under our watch.”
Many fans traveled hundreds of miles to celebrate their team’s win. One fan flew from Hawaii to San Francisco during Game 6 on Thursday and on Saturday, despite the long distance she traveled.
“Ronolo said: ‘I will be reminiscent of today on my 6-hour flight back,”
The parade at 11:20 begins on Market and Main streets and ends on Market and Eighth streets, where it ends around 2 p.m. (Here’s the NBA’s route map–download for your own personal use –and our full parade guide.)
The decision to have a rally at the end of this parade, like the one in 2018, was a surprise to many fans who were anticipating being able to hear from their favorite players.
Thousands of people are expected to show up at BART on the morning of the parade and will be taking public transit. BART is operating 12 extra trains during these times so that everyone can get their commute done as quickly as possible.
Between 8:30 and 9 a.m., the BART trains headed north into San Francisco were packed and queuing in front of one another at stations, causing brief delays.
