Oakland community looking forward to city hosting several NBA All-Star events
The NBA All-Star game is coming to Chase Center next weekend. While the Dubs are now in San Francisco, the team hasn't forgotten its roots in the Town.
Several of the events surrounding the big game will be held in Oakland.
From 1971 to 2019, the Warriors called Oakland Arena home. The team was a big part of the community and continues to be after it moved across the Bay.
"Their presence in Oakland is still very real so we're very grateful for that," said Chris Chatmon, the CEO Kingmakers of Oakland.
While Oakland has lost all three major sports franchises in recent years, the Warriors left in a way but remain in the area. The team continues to nurture relationships in the Town with key community partners.
"They're fact that they still have a facility here in Oakland, the Valkyries, their women's basketball team is at and will be practicing at," said Chatmon. "The fact that we have a place to train, to have meetings. The fact that they're investing in foundations like us and still have access to Warriors games. Really in some ways from a community standpoint, they really haven't left."
Chatmon is the CEO of Kingmakers of Oakland. It's an organization that helps young Black boys find success in life.
Its success is thanks in part to a partnership with the Generation Thrive community space, which is part of the Warriors Community Foundation.
"They helped heavily shape the person I am today," said Lamond Lougin, a The Fellowship Initiative Alumni.
Lamond is one of the success stories. He graduated from The Fellowship Initiative and is now showing the documentary he produced at the Black History Film Festival in Oakland.
"To keep it blunt and honest, a lot of people would be up to no good," said Lougin. "I was born and raised in East Oakland. Not the best place to grow up. But when it comes to programs like that, it helped me steer me out of the bad."
Lamond is just one of the many examples of the impact sports franchises can have on a community. The NBA will hold seven All-Star weekend events in Oakland. Three of those events will be held in the arena where the Warriors won three championships. The events may not replace the teams that have been lost, but a resilient Oakland is hopeful for the future.
"Yeah, that may have kind of tripped us up but we're going to stumble through it and something great will come out of that," said Chatmon.