Warriors owner Joe Lacob has made good on his promise.
According to a report from Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Warriors have covered the $4 million dollar championship parade bill in full, something Lacob said the team would do during his speech on Thursday.
“We recognize that times are hard and this city in particular has had its share of issues over the years,” Lacob said from the stage. “There are a lot of fundamental needs — police, schools — we’d just like to say: this parade, this whole day, all the costs, every dollar is on us. It’s our gift to the city of Oakland.”
Typically cities help cover the costs of championship parades, but after meeting with Oakland officials, Lacob and Peter Guber decided to foot the billl. It is unclear how the payment was structured for the parade in 2015.
At the most, the city of Oakland could host two more championship parades in the next two years, before the Warriors head to their new arena in San Francisco for the 2019-20 season. Thursday’s parade was the third is the city’s history, with the first taking place in 1975. The Warriors won their first two championships when the franchise was based in Philadelphia.