The Golden State Warriors kicked off the 2023-24 NBA regular season Tuesday evening by hosting the Phoenix Suns in San Francisco.
The game at Chase Center, along with being the season opener, marked the first game former Warriors star Kevin Durant played at the arena with fans watching—and the excitement was palpable.
After winning two championships with Golden State and then leaving in 2019, the same year the new arena opened, Durant played a game there in the 2020-21 season—but fans weren’t in attendance due to Covid protocols.
The Warriors finished the 2022-23 season by bowing out in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers after winning the championship the season prior.
Dubs fans waited in long lines to witness Tuesday’s game, where they got a limited-edition opening night shirts to memorialize the occasion.
Beyond KD’s appearance, fans said they looked forward to yet another win by the Dubs.
Ethan Ashby was one of thousands who showed up to Tuesday’s game with high hopes for his favorite team.
“As long as the Warriors have Steph, Klay and Dray, I feel like they’re in contention,” he said. “Now, we can’t expect it to be like it was with the KD years, where we were winning, like you know, every time, but they’re definitely going to be in the mix, so I’m optimistic for this year.”