OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, the city of Oakland celebrated the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball dynasty.
Throngs of fans in gold and blue T-shirts and holding signs that read “Dynasty” and “Back to Back Champions” took their places behind barriers set up along the route hours before the celebration is set to start at 11 a.m. Tuesday in downtown Oakland, California.
As many as 1 million fans were expected to cheer Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years.
The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between these clubs.
Oakland resident Jasmine Culp, 36, painted her lips blue and dressed in a sparkling golden sequined dress, sash, and blue-gold feather accessories to attend the parade with her three children, Jonavon, Jewel, and Cypher.
“It’s our new family tradition,” she said. “We love to kick off the summer here and we love to dress up.”
Culp acknowledged it could be the family’s last parade in Oakland, since the Warriors plan to move to San Francisco next year.
“It’s sad to see a big part of our city move away,” she said. “Not going to want to travel over the bridge to see them, but we will.”
The parade was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and wind through downtown streets.