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There’s not much happening in baseball right now during the MLB lockout, but basketball is going strong for those who also follow the NBA. In particular, Bay Area fans have been able to enjoy the resurgent Golden State Warriors, who hold the second-best record in the league despite a recent slump and appear to have returned to championship contender status.
Earlier this month, Oakland A’s fans who tuned into the Dubs game got an extra treat.
The Warriors visited the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 5, and that night the Mavericks were hosting a jersey retirement ceremony for Dirk Nowitzki, their former superstar player. Nowitzki is an all-time great who spent his entire 21-year career in Dallas and brought home a championship in 2011, and he’s a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible next year. He’s kind of a big deal.
Amid the festivities, the Warriors chipped in some respect for the universally beloved Nowitzki. In addition to participating in the pregame video tribute played at the stadium, Golden State also released another video on Twitter. See if you notice anything at the 1:12 mark, when Stephen Curry appears on screen.
Very few have changed the game like 41 has.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 5, 2022
As Dirk Nowitzki gets his jersey retired tonight in Dallas, the Dubs reflect on an iconic career. pic.twitter.com/K4mhgrcWNq
Steph is wearing an A’s beanie! And it looks great on him.
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For four decades the Warriors and A’s played their home games next door to each other, with the Coliseum and Oracle Arena sitting side-by-side and sharing a parking lot, until the Dubs moved across the bay a couple years ago. Now they play at Chase Center in San Francisco, closer to another certain MLB team, so it’s fun to see their biggest star still representing the green-and-gold.
Granted, Curry has often been seen sporting gear from both the A’s and Giants over the years, so the point here isn’t about him exclusively picking one side or other. It’s just nice to know he hasn’t forgotten about Oakland entirely.
From a basketball perspective, it was cool to see the Warriors taking part in Dirk’s ceremony. He could arguably be considered an inspiration for Golden State’s recent dynasty, as a player who pushed the boundaries of deep shooting for his position before Curry came along and further revolutionized the concept of stretching the floor. And from an A’s fan perspective, it was extra neat to see our team’s logo pop up, on the head of one legendary superstar while he was talking about another legendary superstar.
Trey magnifique!
Congrats @StephenCurry30! Continued success to the MVP & the @warriors throughout these playoffs. #StrengthInNumbers pic.twitter.com/wiQyTywaUW
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 4, 2015