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Kendra AndrewsESPN
SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors unveiled their 2021-22 NBA championship banner and rings Tuesday night ahead of the season-opening 123-109 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It takes resiliency to win a title, and resiliency is what defines this Warriors team,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during the ceremony.
Stephen Curry stood to the side, emphatically cheering as he watched each of his teammates receive his ring. As he walked toward center court to receive his, MVP chants broke out throughout Chase Center.
“Hold up,” Curry told them. “We have some other work to do before that.”
“This is a very special night,” he said. “From Game 6 in 2019 in Oracle to Game 6 of 2022, it’s been a very long journey.”
Curry also took a moment to wish Brittney Griner — a WNBA player for the Phoenix Mercury — a happy 32nd birthday. Griner has been detained in Russia since mid-February.
Following the presentation of the rings — a 16-carat, yellow diamond ring — a video played on the Jumbotron of owner Joe Lacob stating that the Warriors needed more banners. The video was from 2010.
Drake’s “Big Rings” blared from the speakers as the Warriors’ seventh championship banner — and their fourth in the past eight years — was raised.
A few days before the game, star guard Klay Thompson said he would have trouble sleeping on Monday in anticipation of Tuesday’s festivities. Meanwhile, power forward Jonathan Kuminga said he forgot ring night was happening.
Former Warrior Juan Toscano-Anderson, who now plays for the Lakers, was the first to receive his ring. A native of Oakland, California, Toscano said earlier in the day that he purchased courtside seats for his mother to watch the game.
Ahead of the ceremony, Golden State center James Wiseman told ESPN that he was excited about the pregame ceremony, but he had some butterflies because it was both his first ceremony and his first season opener since his rookie year in 2020. After all, the team still had a game to play.
“Before we head out, we know it’s going to be fun, we know it’s going to be emotional,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game.