Golden State Warriors Hope to Strike Gold with New Arena

Artist sketch of early plans for new stadium (Art Zendarski/Future Cities)

In 2010, Joe Lacob and and Peter Guber bought the Golden State Warriors for a league-record $450 million. Ever since, they have been working to try and find a much needed new arena. They preferred to make the short move from Oakland to San Francisco for obvious economic reasons. Up until recently, nothing had worked out. However, news that Larry Ellison's America Cup team decided that a complete renovation of San Francisco's Piers 30-32 would be too costly, meant that the coveted spot was once again available. Upon seeing the location for the first time Guber whispered to Lacob, "Man, we got to do this."

The two owners called for a news conference with NBA Commissioner David Stern and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee to be held Tuesday. Guber told reporters, "We can turn this dream into a goal by giving it urgency. We will play here in 2017. Take that as a promise we will fulfill. There will be a world-class entertainment venue. We're all in." 2017 is when the team's current lease runs out at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The Warriors also revealed some of the plans for the estimated $500 million, privately-funded arena to be built at the 13-acre Piers 30-32. Repairs on the pier itself will likely cost between $75-100 million. The fabulous waterfront location is near the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, "one of the most beautiful views in one of the world's most beautiful cities."

The Warriors believe that the 16-mile move will make all the difference. Despite the current old arena and the team only making one playoff appearance since 1994, fan support has been great for the Warriors. They finished 10th in the league in average attendance with 18,857. Those numbers are only likely to improve, but this move obviously isn't mainly about the fans. The difference that Lacob and Guber are trying to accomplish is to make the Warriors an attractive team for top free agents, something the team hasn't even been on the radar for in recent years. The new arena and new owners' willingness to spend money look set to change that. Basketball legend Jerry West, a Warriors executive board member, stated, "This would be my resting place if I were a free agent." With a move to the beautiful San Francisco waterfront in place, the Warriors look primed to become contenders once again.