BOUNCE: The Warriors Last Season in Oakland

Tom Meschery was the first player in Golden State Warriors franchise history to have his jersey number retired. He grew up in San Francisco and played for the Warriors when the team moved to the City from Philadelphia in 1962. But it was off the court that Meschery had a second career as an accomplished poet and writer.

Marcus Thompson writes about basketball for the national outlet The Athletic. In recent years he wrote biographies of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. But before all that, Marcus grew up a Warriors’ fan in Oakland’s Sobrante Park.

The Warriors Community Foundation has donated over $10 million to nonprofits in Alameda and San Francisco counties since launching in 2012.

The Golden State Warriors’ off-season is underway. In one of their last moves in Oakland, the team introduced its three draft picks at its convention center practice facility. But while the new players posed for the media, the vets have other things going on. In the latest episode of Bounce: the Warriors’ last season in Oakland, KALW’s Ben Trefny has more.

The Golden State Warriors season ended last week with a dramatic loss to the Toronto Raptors. It’s not the send-off Oakland fans were hoping for as the team bids farewell to Oracle Arena. Now, a season of promise turns into an off-season of uncertainty. There are still signs of the team all over the Town and that’s not going to change any time soon. In fact, the logo for this podcast is the iconic Warriors’ bridge image dripping off a brick wall, and that’s from a mural in Oakland by Illuminaries. In this edition of Bounce, we catch up with Illuminaries co-founder Tim Hon whose crew are painting for the Dubs.

Tomorrow night, the Warriors will play their last game in Oakland. When the team leaves the Coliseum, they’ll leave behind a stadium that’s ideal for public transit riders.

We all know sports is a business. That’s why the Warriors are leaving for San Francisco — to make more money. But sports are also emotional. Sentimental, even. In the lead up to the NBA Finals, Stephen Curry decided to give back in a very sports way. He identified 30 people in the community who made a difference in his and others’ lives and gave them each a pair of specially crafted shoes from his main sponsor, the athletic wear company Under Armour. Curry’s barber Yusef Wright is one of those people. He works out of Benny Adem Grooming Parlor, just a few blocks away from the Warriors downtown practice court. In this episode of Bounce, we went to that barbershop and found a sense of peace, purpose, and hometown pride.

The Golden State Warriors have had a week off after sweeping the Western Conference Finals. So they turned their attention to the East, to see whom they’d face for the NBA championship.

Portland Trail Blazers guard and East Oakland native Damian Lillard recently returned to Oracle Arena to face off against the Golden State Warriors in the same building where he grew up cheering for them.

The Golden State Warriors are rolling, now. Last night they crushed the Portland Trailblazers in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. But, win or lose, the team is leaving for San Francisco next year. In the latest from Bounce, we're looking at how the Golden State Warriors organization is teaming up with local businesses like Oakland's Bakesale Betty to bring some East Bay flavor to the City.