20,000 Lunches Bagged For The Hungry At Warriors Party For Ticket Holders
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- The Golden State Warriors threw an elaborate party for team's season ticket holders Monday where they just happened to bag 20,000 lunches for hungry people.
Most of the Warriors championship roster was expected to stop by Monday's "Season of Giving" event at the Oakland Marriott City Center, including reigning league MVP Stephen Curry, All-Star Klay Thompson and NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala.
Season ticket holders were invited to help bag lunches and for their efforts were treated to photo opportunities with the players and the team's championship trophy, question-and-answer sessions with Thompson and Curry, a full bar and a hot dog lunch.
"That's what's great about this organization, we do it right," Thompson said during the question-and-answer session. "Not just on the court but in the community."
Thompson has been involved in numerous charity initiatives in his four-year career with the Warriors, including donating $20,000 for Thanksgiving dinners in Oakland last year and helping bag 1,000 lunches at a similar event in January.
The lunches are distributed as part of the .HashtagLunchbag initiative through area food banks and homeless outreach organizations.
Thompson and Curry both stressed that they feel like the Bay Area is their home now and want to make sure they give back to the area.
"There's a lot of great people in the city of Oakland. This is my home now. It's home for a lot of us," Thompson said.
Curry has his own charity outreach events, including his "Three-for-Three" campaign that sends three mosquito nets to areas plagued by malaria for every three-point shot he hits. Since starting the campaign, Curry has twice set a record for most three-pointers in a season.
The Warriors have been frequently exceeding expectations, following up their championship season by starting this year's campaign with 24 straight wins before finally falling to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
Asked if he knew why the Warriors lost Saturday, Curry smiled and said, "We're tired."
Thompson said there was little talk in the team's locker room of the historic nature of their season-opening winning streak—shattering the previous best start of 15-0 set by the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and tied by the 1993-94 Houston Rockets—except once when interim head coach Luke Walton brought it up after their 13th win.
Walton told them they "might as well go do something that hasn't been done before," Thompson said. It's something that probably won't be done again for a long time, "unless we do it again next year," he said.
Children dressed in Curry's jersey gathered around the stage before he spoke and reached up for his autograph when he was finished. When called an inspiration to fans, particularly aspiring NBA players who may not tower over their competition, the 6-foot 3-inch Curry said, "It makes me feel special."
"You are special," many in the crowd called back to him.
The team's success has only made him work harder, he said, spending his off-season improving his ball-handling and shooting skills. And it shows, Curry is in the midst of what might be his best season yet.
It just shows the resilience of this Warriors team, Curry said.
"No matter what the situation is we always rise to the occasion."
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