It’s set up to be Stephen Curry’s show this weekend at Chase Center for Sunday’s All-Star Game and at the team practices Saturday at the Oakland Arena. He’ll have famous friends and Olympic teammates around him. Still: It’s Curry’s carnival, because he’s earned it.
And who knows, the NBA might even conjure something interesting after hopes fizzled for a Curry, Sabrina Ionescu, Klay Thompson, and Caitlin Clark 3-point competition Saturday. It’d be disappointing if there’s no comparable moment to the Curry-Ionescu shootout that lit up last year’s Saturday-night shindig — not just for observers but for the league and for Curry, too.
But beyond the Curry festivities and the bloated hoopla that always surrounds this event (which I will mainly be bypassing), what else should a discerning Warrior fan pay attention to this weekend? I’ve been asking around. And I’ve got a list.
1. Joe Lacob is part of this, but not as front and center as you’d imagine
The Warriors owner is hosting a private event for top league executives and other owners and obviously will be at the game Sunday, but that might be the extent of his official duties this weekend.
I’ve heard that Lacob might not be part of the annual fourth-quarter “owner handoff” from this year’s host to next year’s; there might be another way the NBA will signal that it’s Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s turn to get ready for the 2026 All-Star Game at Intuit Dome.
I don’t think this is a maneuver to make sure Lacob avoids a repeat of the booing that rained down on then-owner Chris Cohan during the 2000 All-Star Game in Oakland for the handoff to then-Washington owner-representative Michael Jordan. Of course, Lacob endured his own famous incident when he was booed off the microphone early in his ownership tenure during the 2012 ceremony to retire Chris Mullin’s jersey.
Lacob wouldn’t be booed this time — not after four championships, not with Curry on the floor, and not after the recent trade for Jimmy Butler. It just seems like the NBA wants to freshen up the tradition after last year’s handoff in Indianapolis from the Pacers’ owners to Lacob, which was uneventful though a little wordy from both sides.
2. Charles Barkley vs. San Francisco will be a thing but likely will be resolved graciously
It’s mostly schtick, though I’m sure Barkley has reasons for his repeated criticisms of San Francisco over the years and, very pointedly, heading into this weekend.
I texted him this week and, no surprise, got no reply. Barkley is good at building suspense. He’s not giving away any resolutions until he’s live on a TNT show, maybe with a bunch of Bay Area fans in the background. That’s why he’s such a great entertainer. But I suspect he will champion many of the charms of our city, at least on some terms, and will, as always, be the life of the party this weekend.
3. The nods to Oakland, one hopes, will feel authentic
If you ask Curry, Draymond Green, and others who were around at the start of the dynasty, they’ll always underline their connection to the Oakland community and their time playing in front of those rowdy crowds in what used to be called Oracle Arena before the move to San Francisco in 2019.
The Warriors notably kept their practice facility in downtown Oakland and use it for camps and other events. And that’s where the Valkyries will practice and be headquartered. (Frankly, given the tight confines of the Warriors’ Chase practice site, I’ve heard more than a few wistful words about the wide-open Oakland site.)
Because of all the activities these days, All-Star host bids must come with two sites — which made the SF-Oakland combo bid by the Warriors a natural. I think that this weekend, there will be a strong nod to what Oakland has always meant to the Warriors and the NBA. At least there ought to be.
“We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t have Oakland involved in the events,” Warriors president Brandon Schneider told me this week.
4. It’s not just Steph: Eight Warriors players will participate in All-Star events
Curry is in the main game, of course. Buddy Hield is in the 3-Point Contest, and Draymond and Moses Moody are teaming up in the Skills Challenge — both on Saturday. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brandin Podziemski, and Pat Spencer are all playing in the Rising Stars game Friday and could get into the All-Star Game’s new tournament format Sunday. And Jackson Rowe will be on the G-League team.
5. The Warriors have a plan for rehabbing Jonathan Kuminga — just not at the Chase Center
These are important days for Kuminga, who has been out since early this year with a sprained ankle but is nearing a return, possibly as soon as the Warriors’ first game after the break, Feb. 21 in Sacramento. And the Warriors need him back.
So how will Kuminga get state-of-the-art treatment and workout assistance while Chase is occupied with All-Star festivities? The Warriors have planned for this: Kuminga and a few staffers will continue his rehabbing off-site (and out of state) during this period.
What will the other few Warriors do this week if they’re not involved in All-Star stuff? They’ve been told to rest and get ready for the stretch run. That includes Steve Kerr, who is participating in Friday’s exclusive Technology Summit (getting interviewed by Bob Costas), then will get some R&R back in San Diego.
6. The Warriors — even Curry — had to clean out their stuff from the home locker room.
I figured Curry and the other Warriors who are participating this weekend wouldn’t be asked to clear out of Chase’s home locker room. But nope, I’m told that every player had to remove their personal items.
Who knows if we’ll find out, but it’d be interesting to learn which players ended up in this room and who, if anybody, was assigned Curry’s locker.
7. There will be Valkyries visible
Lacob and Valkryies executives hoped to land a big-name star for their inaugural season — starting this summer — but that hasn’t happened. The team will still have a presence during the weekend: Kayla Thornton is playing in the Celebrity Game on Friday, and I imagine other players and high-profile staffers will pop up here and there as spectators. It’d be crazy not to take advantage of this spotlight.
Also, the brand-new Valkyries locker room at Chase might be showcased in some way — I hear it’s very nice — but it likely won’t be used by All-Star participants.
8. Don’t look for a huge amount of Warriors fans
The league controls all All-Star tickets and tightly limits the amount going to the host team. Seats go to sponsors, partners, celebrities, staffers from all 30 teams and the league, and yes, extra seats for the media.
A practical estimate for the number of Warriors fans in the building Saturday and Sunday: about 20% of the crowd, unless they get extra motivated to buy tickets on the resale market — which will not be cheap.
9. Will Warriors fans in attendance try to woo an All-Star? How about Kevin Durant?
It’s been known to happen at these kinds of events. And many Warriors fans, including and maybe especially the wealthy ones likeliest to be attending the All-Star events, love Durant. For good reason.
I’m curious whether Warriors fans can make enough noise to get Durant’s attention — and maybe try a little non-subtle campaigning to see if he’d like to change his mind about coming back to the Bay Area. I know a few Warriors execs who might be in favor of this.
10. The hubbub all over the city will be interesting
Several restaurants recently opened at Thrive City around the arena. I suspect that Splash, a sports bar, will be a locus of activity this weekend, especially because Curry’s company Thirty Ink will “take over” the place Saturday and Sunday, including with live podcasts. Curry-related podcasts? Now you’ve got my attention.
On the party scene, our Kevin V. Nguyen is planning on attending everything big and fun as part of The Standard’s NBA After Dark coverage. His running diary from the goings-on will post Monday. I asked Kevin what he’s looking forward to the most. His picks: the late-night party hosted by Darryl Reed and Kevin Garnett on Friday in downtown SF and Baron Davis’ day/night tech party at a secret location Saturday. Can’t wait to read all about them, because I sure won’t be at them.