Five famous celebrities rooting for the Golden State Warriors this NBA Finals
Dave Chappelle at the Warriors game earlier this season
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
After a hard-fought season, the Golden State Warriors have once again successfully rallied their way back to the NBA Finals. It has been three seasons since Golden State last won an NBA championship, and we can be sure that the Dubs nation is already ecstatic about witnessing the franchise cop its fifth NBA title.
The number of the Warriors faithful grew when Golden State made an impressive run during its “We Believe” days. It even proliferated when Steph Curry flourished to become the franchise’s main marquee star alongside Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green -- and later Kevin Durant.
Unlike before, only a few were aware that a number of famous celebrities were rooting for the Warriors. Now, we often see prominent personalities courtside during Warriors games, and we have picked the five most recognizable of them all.
Dave Chappelle
The world-famous stand-up comedian may have been a huge Kobe Bryant fan, but as far as team basketball goes, it’s safe to say that Dave Chappelle is a Dubs faithful.
Some of us might have caught Chappelle inside the Chase Center recently, but the truth is, he has been a solid Warriors fan since 2013, the year considered as Golden State’s breakout season since “We Believe.”
Having been one of the most familiar faces courtside for nearly a decade, the Warriors organization now refers to Chappelle as “Our friend Dave.”
Carlos Santana
Rock icon Carlos Santana may be the oldest person on this list, but that doesn’t mean he has the least significance on it as well. In fact, the Grammy Award-winning artist has performed live during a Warriors game not once but twice. He first performed the U.S. national anthem with his wife Cindy Blackman in Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals and followed it up with another superb performance a year later.
Santana is one of the longest-tenured Warriors fans as he is said to have been rooting for the team since moving to San Francisco when he was 14 years old. He is 74 years old now.
MC Hammer
The younger generation of Warriors fans may only find his name cool but hip hop legend MC Hammer is one of the most authentic Golden State followers of all time.
A native of Oakland, it’s a no-brainer that MC Hammer has been a Warriors fan since birth. He is often courtside in home games, and he also represents the Dubs almost wherever he goes.
Even more interesting, MC Hammer has also induced his family to support his hometown.
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Jessica Alba
Born in California, Hollywood babe Jessica Alba has been seen catching the Warriors live in action since the “We Believe” days of the franchise. Alba’s friendship with former Warriors star Baron Davis has thrilled her more about rooting for Golden State.
“Yes: I'm well aware that [Jessica] Alba and Baron Davis are longtime pals,” ESPN’s Marc Stein said via Golden State of Mind. “But I'll go out on a limb and say that it's still a rather momentous occasion when an actress of Alba's hotness, er, stature, wants to fly in for a courtside seat.”
“Alba, by all accounts, only hits Warriors games when they're in L.A.,” he added.
With that in mind, whenever we see Alba supporting the Curry-led Warriors squad, we can be confident that she’s not one of those so-called “bandwagon” fans.
Manny Pacquiao
Because of his legendary status in the world of sports, eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao could be hailed as the biggest Warriors fan on this list.
Some may not know, but basketball also has a special place in Pacquiao’s heart apart from boxing. In fact, he even co-founded a professional basketball league in his home country, the Philippines.
Undoubtedly, the “Pac-Man” has a wide array of NBA idols, but the team he has been supporting for years is none other than the Golden State Warriors. Interestingly, Pacquiao and the Dubs organization have had quite a history as well.
In 2014, the boxing legend took a trip to Golden State to promote his title fight against Chris Algieri. Given his love for basketball, Pacquiao also took the opportunity to have his “cross-training” inside the Warriors' facility as part of his preparation for the fight.
During a brief interview inside the Warriors gym, Pacquiao showed his support for his favorite NBA team and one of his favorite players in the league.
“Of course,” Pacquiao replied when asked if he knew who Steph Curry was. “He’s one of my favorite players in the NBA. He’s young and he [has] improved a lot.”
“To all the fans of Warriors, don’t forget to support our team,” he added.
Shortly after the said visit, rumors swirled at the time that Pacquiao had actually bought off “sole ownership of the Warriors team” and “he will have full control of the organization including its team and staff.” Of course, it didn’t take long for the truth to come out, and it was later reported that it was just nothing but a bold rumor.
Due to his undeniably hectic schedule, Pacquiao, who is also a politician in the Philippines, may not have the time to travel and watch the Warriors live. However, we now know that he is a 100% Dubs fan.
All told, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when we spot celebrities supporting the Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
