SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz Warriors bounced back into the 2021-22 NBA G League season with a pair of events held at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Sunday.
The team hosted the Sea Dubs Fan Fest and Youth Basketball Clinic on Sept. 26, drawing in hundreds of fans from all over the Bay Area.
Santa Cruz along with the rest of the NBA G League kicked off a nationwide celebration of basketball and hoops fandom this past weekend.
The Warriors joined the coast-to-coast party that began with the youth basketball clinic Sunday morning featuring new head coach Seth Cooper.
The festivities continued in the afternoon with the team’s first-ever Fan Fest that included new merchandise, food and beverages and ticket sales.
Golden State Warriors rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga made an appearance to sign autographs and chat with NBC Sports Bay Area Warriors reporter Kendra Andrews.
The season tips off with back-to-back games against the Stockton Kings at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Nov. 5 and 6.
“We’re excited to welcome fans back to Kaiser Permanente Arena for the 2021-22 season,” Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy said in a press release. “We look forward to safely hosting the best fans in the NBA G League for an exciting opening weekend of Sea Dubs basketball.”
The season begins with all teams playing 12 games, followed by two games in Las Vegas for the Showcase Cup.
The team records will reset for the final 36 games of the season to determine playoff seeding.
The Warriors will play in nine back-to-back games this season starting with two games in South Dakota against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan. 1 and 4.
Santa Cruz will return to the KP Arena for two games against the Oklahoma City Blue on Jan. 6 and 7, then back on the road for two games in Frisco, Texas to take on the Legends on Jan. 14 and 15.
The Warriors will finish the regular season with eight home games in March. In an effort to reduce the amount of travel throughout the season, they will only play Western Conference opponents this season.
Opening Weekend will feature a T-shirt giveaway for all fans on Nov. 5 and Local Heroes Night on Nov. 6, honoring Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed in the line of duty in June 2020.
A portion of ticket sales will go to the Gutz’s Kids Education Fund.
All home games will continue to feature a giveaway for at least the first 1,000 fans in attendance, continuing a tradition that dates back to the 2019-20 season.
The Warriors have sold out 95 consecutive home games.
The team will continue to follow all recommendations provided by the State of California and the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency.
As of Sept. 20, the State of California requires that attendance at gatherings of 1,000 people or more requires fans to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test, administered within 72 hours of the event, for venue entry.
The Santa Cruz County Health Officer issued a health order on Aug. 21 that requires all individuals to wear a face covering when indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
