Stephen Curry, Heart Of The Town

Stephen Curry has spent the past decade transforming Oakland's Golden State Warriors from an afterthought NBA franchise to a full-blown dynasty. Now, with the team approaching its 2019 move to San Francisco, the three-time champ is showing serious love to a city that has given him so much.

- Alex Squadron

Stephen Curry stands on the court at Oracle Arena with a ring on his right finger and a microphone in his left hand.

“Y’all ready?” he asks the riled-up crowd. Then he starts the countdown.

5,

4,

3,

2,

1…

All eyes gaze up as another banner rolls down from the ceiling. For several seconds, Stephen remains fixated on it. He takes a few deep breaths and smiles softly, reminding himself to appreciate what it means.

“That moment, man, it’s so short, but there’s so many thoughts that go through your head,” he says. “That drop just definitely encapsulates everything that you’ve gone through.”

And with that drop, the door was closed on an epic 2017-18 championship run.

And the Warriors’ final season in Oakland officially began.

It’s a quiet Thursday morning at Jack London Square in downtown Oakland. An old-school Warriors banner—yellow with hints of orange and blue—flutters outside Scott’s Seafood restaurant. A few people sit looking out at the estuary that bleeds into the San Francisco Bay, as they sip from coffee cups. Somewhere on the other side of the water is the newly constructed Chase Center, where the Warriors will be playing their home games come October of 2019.

A train rumbles by in front of Home of Chicken and Waffles—the small spot Stephen Curry used to routinely hit for late night food following a Dubs victory. It’s the type of place you can smell before you see it. The cinnamon-coated batter, the warm maple syrup, the deep-fried wings.