Fans cheer Warriors at victory parade

OAKLAND - Bursting with pride and joy, hundreds of thousands of people poured into downtown Oakland on Friday to cheer the Golden State Warriors and revel in the team’s first NBA title in 40 years.

Fans began staking out spots along the parade route hours before dawn, transforming the team’s slogan - “Strength in Numbers” - into a massive blue-and-gold display of unity and elation. City officials estimated at least 500,000 packed the streets.

The parade started promptly at 10 a.m. with a blast of confetti that rained down upon the roaring crowd. Members of the team, riding in double-decker buses with family members and friends, traversed the 2-mile route down Broadway and along the shores of Lake Merritt to the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, where a jubilant rally drew a throng rivaling the crowds across the bay that celebrated the San Francisco Giants’ recent World Series championships.

Chants of “MVP! MVP!” and “Riley! Riley!” serenaded sharpshooting superstar Stephen Curry and his daughter as he hoisted the NBA trophy to deafening cheers.

For many of the fans, especially those who live in Oakland, the parade celebrated a new chapter in Warriors history, one that washed away season upon season of embarrassment and losses.

“They’ve seen a lot of disappointment,” Sohan Kota, 33, of Oakland, said of longtime Warriors fans.

The outpouring of support was bittersweet for some longtime fans who fear the team will move to San Francisco. The Warriors have purchased land in the Mission Bay district, where the organization plans to build a privately financed arena. The team hopes to open the new arena in time for the 2018-19 season.

“I wish Oakland would have gotten this support sooner,” said Oakland resident Jordan Perlman, 32, who grew up in Occidental and has rooted for the Warriors since he was a kid. “It’s sad they’re going to SF. Oakland doesn’t really seem to be able to keep their sports teams.”

The parade marks the end of a dream season for the Warriors, who defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday to clinch the NBA championship. Members of Dub Nation began lining up in the predawn darkness Friday to celebrate Oakland’s first professional sports championship since 1989, when the Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Mario Valadez, 38, woke his two daughters early Friday morning and drove them from their home in Fairfield to arrive at the Oakland City Center at 3:58 a.m.

“I think we were the first ones here,” said Valadez, sitting in a lawn chair, bundled up in his Warriors jacket and sweatshirt on the corner of Broadway and 12th Street.

Throughout the morning, waves of fans emerged from the 12th Street BART station, traveling from all over Northern California. Joseph Concepcion, 27, drove from his home in Modesto to his cousin’s home in San Leandro. From there, the two cousins took BART to Oakland. Concepcion said he couldn’t miss the event.

“It’s the Warriors, man,” he said. “It’s a long time coming.”

At the parade’s starting point at Broadway and 11th Street, fans pressed up against the guard rail several people deep. Warriors shirts, hats and banners were sold everywhere, along with thick, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and pretzels. Frequent chants of “Warriors!” erupted from all over. People cheered wildly when they were featured for a second or two on one of several TV cameras that panned the crowd.

The celebration was peaceful for the most part, an uplifting and positive moment for a city that is known for its crime and murder rates.

However, three people were shot and wounded during an argument at about 12:10 p.m. on Lakeshore Avenue, about a half-mile away from the rally, according to witnesses and police. The victims, whose identities were not immediately released, were in stable condition. It was not clear whether the shooting was connected to the parade or rally.

After the procession of floats and buses ended, thousands tried to make their way from the parade route to Kaiser Center Auditorium at Lake Merritt. As the lakeside venue began filling, police turned back fans at various locations. In the confusion, many searched for alternative entries. People walking in one direction, down one street, became anxious when they encountered an equal number of people wearing blue and gold walking in the opposite direction.

“Does anyone know where we’re going?” asked one young man.

But the pervasive mood was joy at the sight of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, which returned to Oakland for the first time since the 1974-75 season, when a Warriors team led by Al Attles, Rick Barry and Clifford Ray won the franchise’s first title.

Elliott Osborne, 65, a counselor at San Francisco City College who was born and raised in Oakland, said he’s been a Warriors fan “even during the bad years.”

The championship means a lot to Oakland kids, of all colors, he said. Echoing the sentiments other fans at the rally, Osborne said the Warriors players had shown themselves to be excellent role models for young people. But the planned move to San Francisco is “kind of a scar in the whole thing,” he said.

“I’m still hoping the whole deal will crash.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.