♪ >> a great day, everybody. thank you. the san francisco chornicle.

and the history association. and the neighborhood emergency response team. the american red cross. and thanks for making this happen. i want to invite everyone to go to 20th in church or -- and church. and we will meet up. we may skirt the law and serve something before 6:00 a.m. the bookmobile, where are they? >> i have my cheat sheet here which i cannot find.

the library has been here after great disasters. there has -- is a special book that won an award this year. here is the book. i downloaded it on my kindle. it can check out copies of the book mobile. nex>> thanks for being here. start walking slowly. welcome to san francisco, everyone. ♪

>> good morning. good morning. thank everybody for being here. what a wonderful, marvelous day in san francisco. commissioner david stern is almost clairvoyant in such a way. he is a marketing genius. years ago, he came up with the slogan "i love this game." when people say that, you know exactly what they are talking about. they are talking about an nba basketball game. one of its marketing slogans from this season is -- big things are coming. we had a great season. we are having a big playoff run right now. it is more than certainly appropriate for today because

five years from now, there is going to be the most impressive of arena in america sitting right here on the spear -- this pier. i'm not sure there is any bigger news in the nba, except maybe that the warriors got a big man, but it goes along with the whole thing. today is the culmination of incredible vision by a mayor and a group of owners, who are 100% committed to creating something really special for the citizens of the bay area, not only basketball fans, but everyone interested in entertainment. it is rare that a sports team has the ability to impact an entire region. the building of this venue in the country will have positive ramifications on fans far and wide. that is unique, and that is what makes a tremendous day for the city of san francisco, the

warriors, and the entire bay area community. i would like to introduce to you some of our speakers on the day is today. the city's 43rd mayor and the city's first asian-american mayor in the city's history. he is from seattle, i'm from tacoma, and we have that together. he is known as a job as mayor and an innovation mayor for his focus on job creation and economic development. ladies and gentlemen, san francisco mayor, ed lee. [applause] mayor lee: thank you. good morning, everybody. welcome. it is great to be reunited with my long-lost brothers, separated at birth. david lee, his younger brother. i just wanted to welcome all of you. we have a great representation of the whole city family here today. commissioners from our port, staff from our ports, the

recreation and park department, our planning department, we have our board of supervisors from hong all of the different districts. we have representatives from chinatown, bayview, sunset, bernal heights, ever with this city is committed to working with the warriors to make sure we have this i read a billed by the 2017 nba season, and we are very committed to getting that done. the warriors have in the bay area's basketball team for 50 years, and today sets the stage for the warriors to be our bay area team for another 50 years. [applause] all right. it has been 41 years since the warriors played here in san francisco, and in my humble opinion, it is time to welcome them home. [applause] this new sports and

entertainment facility will bay area residents. it will generate tens of millions of dollars in economic growth each year, and games and events will bring people from all over the region. the money they spend will benefit our local economy and our local businesses. this project will be more public transit accessible than almost any other are rena in the nation. it is accessible to bark, and unique, the ferries, and our new transbay terminal that will be up and running in the next three years, making it easier for people from all over the bay area to come to games without driving. this project will also be a responsible development. we're talking about taking a pier that has been the home and host of our ships coming from the military, and international cruise ships from all over the world, canada, and europe, but

it needs a lot of work. it needs major work. it needs cleaning up and strengthening the site and making it usable. we are not developing on any existing green spaces. we will be adding new ones and bringing thousands of people to the waterfront. this project means enormous economic growth for our city. thank you for being here. i'm looking forward to a dedicated five-year joe and peter and all the warriors team. the new revenue we seek to have from this arena and this facility can be used with services for our local residents' needs and public safety. our schools. our whole repairs, public transit, programs for our youth

and programs for our seniors. we look forward to working with you, all of the ownership, and i'm excited, and we are committed, and we look forward to getting this done. thank you very much. [applause] >> our next speaker led a distinguished ownership group in the purchase of the warriors had a record price of $450 million less than two years ago, and prior to owning the warriors, he served as a minority owner -- [laughter] he served as a minority owner of the boston celtics, including when the celtics captain the nba championship. now, his vision is to build a spectacular new arena on san francisco bay. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you come and mr.mayor.

this has been a remarkable journey for us. we did pay the highest price ever paid for an nba franchise, david. [laughter] david just called me the tire kickers. i do not think he is doing that anymore to. we have had a lasting five months of interaction with the mayor of san francisco, ed and his staff. it has been a wonderful five months. incredibly positive. justa can-do attitude about the project. there will be many challenges, but this next five years will be as big as the relationship we have had over the last five months. [applause] so, as the mayor said, we have just celebrated the 150th season in the bay area -- the warrior'' season in the bay area, and now, we embark on the next eight

years. with the cost of this arena, it may take us 50 years to pay it back. we hope to be here, obviously, for a very long time, right here on this site in this very beautiful city. we put a lot of time and effort into this search. for the last 18 months, we have looked everywhere. we decided what is the best thing for our fans, where do we go, what will be best for our fans at games? how can we make this the best possible venue and team in the nba? we decided on this site. it was not an easy decision. we looked at a number of sites, and, you know, we are faced with a pretty tight timeline. our lease expires in 2017, so we have five years, and it takes probably all of that. it will be a tight timeline, as we discussed. it will take all that to get this done in terms of getting the permits and of that and

building the arena. we are very, very appreciative to the home we have had in oakland for the last 40 years or so. it has been a great community, but what people do not understand is that in fact, our fan base is really the key/50, and we do not release this information all the time, but it is 50% on the west bay and 50% on the east bay, so we are the bay area basketball team, and we had to find the best site to serve the majority of our fans and provide that experience, and we settled at the end of the day on this site right here in this beautiful city. let me leave you with four main points as to why -- first, we intend to build the most spectacular arena in the country. for all bay area residents, not just an francisco, that they can be proud of. and architecturally significant

building on truly an iconic site. it does not get any better than this. we intend to do everything in our power to have a team as well that matches the standard of what this a real is going to be, both now and over the course of the next five years. let's not forget this -- winning -- where is mark jackson? winning remains our number one priority. this army that is about winning, just like the team on the court. -- this i read at jig thisarena -- this arena is about winning. it is important to understand we are privately funding this, and we think that is important. we know these communities are challenged by a lot of different economic issues, and we could go through those. we all know what they are. we knew we could have tried to get some public financing as has been done in other places around

the country. the beautiful the stadium we have gone and seen in orlando, and others. we felt the right thing to do was if we could get the right deal on a parcel of land, a great piece, we would come in and build this arena. i want everyone to understand that it can be done and it will be done. it is going to happen. we are going to be year in 2017, and our neighbors to the south, the giants, have proven that a privately financed been you, a stadium in there is, can be done very well and work for everybody. the third point i would like to make is that we thought it was also very important to have a venue that could be accessible via public transportation. very accessible. not just for warrior games, but for conventions and concerts' and all the other events that will be here. this is not just an urban or basketball. that is -- what? 50, 60 events? i'm not sure of the exact number. 57 or something.

but also all the other events that are year. this is more than just an army that. this is a live entertainment venue, a multifaceted venue that we're going to try to put year -- this is more than just an hour arena -- this is more than just an arena appeared retell, restaurants, a place to eat, a sports bar -- all kinds of things that will be at this site. it will be very exciting. it is going to change, just like the giants changed the on the embarcadero little further, we're going to change this part of the embarcadero for the city forever. thanks to the mayor for coming aggressively after us and bringing us here, and thanks to everyone who helped make this day happen. [applause] than the 57 games? does that include playoffs and nba championships, mark? [laughter]

a prominent figure in both the entertainment and sports business over 30 years, he is the founder and ceo of mentally ill to attend a, a visionary of multimedia ventures spanning movie, tv, sports and in addition to garnering more than 50 academy award nominations, he has become actively involved in the theater business, in recent years in professional baseball ownership for one of his minor league teams, the dayton dragons, has established the all-time professional sports record for consecutive sellouts at over 850 straight games, which is quite a record. he now plans to create the most incredible fan experience in the nba right here on san francisco bay. ladies and gentlemen, the co- executive chairman of the warriors, peter gruber. [applause] >> wow. this is fantastic. i remember growing up in boston gardens, the balcony, and obstructed viewing.

suddenly, we are talking about this kind of a venue. i want to say that i have a great partner in joe. he is just great, and that is one of the reasons why i think we will succeed, and it is one of the reasons why it will be fun. in a stage in life, i want it to be fun. the other three-letter word starts with an s and ends with an x, and that is fun, too. the commissioner i have done for a long time. i thank him for being my friend, really, truly. when you start a mission like this, this is the beginning of the beginning of the beginning, and it reminded me of the time when john glenn -- i met john glenn very early in his career, and he was one of the first people to go into space. he was very worried. the soviet union had beat us there, and we had to send somebody up. some are as and when he was sitting on the campbell soup can filled with fuel at the

beginning of the mission, what was going through your mind? >> he was realizing there were in million parts all bit -- billed by the lowest bidder. i can assure you, this been you will not be built by the lowest bidder, probably. joe and i have suffered from rotator cuff injuries from going like this the whole time. [laughter] we have to do this with some elegance. so we have one mission today -- a world class of venue. a beacon for the warriors, for its talent, resources and tina went, and a lightning rod to attract the best performing talent that this city deserves. it is a mission where everybody wins, so there can be no excuses. we will bring our very best and brightest to bear in the process. we promise you that. winning is a shared endeavor, a team endeavor. i learned that very much in

sports businesses that i have been in. it really is. we have to align in order to do that whole various interests. our feet, tongue, hard, and wallets must go in the same direction. the of the senate will allow us to catalyze the area superb technological resources. this is the tech world right here. we have to take and make this venue state of the art technology, but it has got to be stated the heart of all the performers, talent, and athletes that will be there. it is about connecting that. it is about building the most digitally fit enterprise. the vineyard itself -- we have all these venues -- you get six people on a mobile phone, you cannot do anything, but today, the audience that comes to these venues for all kinds of performers -- the billboard awards were last night in vegas

-- 3/4 of the audience were texting and interacting with the audience and the fans. we have to build a digitally fit the arena so the audience can be participants, not just passengers. that is what they want. we are not distracting them from the game or the performance, but allowing them to carry and metabolize the story of my life advocate this venue, the city, and their experiences. this new venue will be a 21st century campfire, creating a social cohesion that binds diverse ethnicity, age, gender. where else can you go today, except sitting at home on a mobile phone or computer, where you can be with 20,000 people all cheering, crying, laughing and the same experience? that is what binds us all together in our past and will in our future, and this will be the perfect venue for that. one thing today is to commit to

turn his dream into a goal by giving it urgency. we will play here in 2017. take that as a promise that we will fulfil, and we will be a world-class entertainment venue. we are all in. we are all in. i hope to see you at the ribbon cutting in 2017 with a smile born from a journey well done. thank you. [applause] than a man, listen to these voters. i get fired up. maybe i could make a comeback in 2017. [laughter] maybe i cannot. one of the most respected and admired executives in the nba, he has garnered nearly 40 years of experience in sports, including a stint at the nba office in new york where he served as executive vice president, chief marketing officer, and president of north dakota properties. among his many accomplishments, he is credited with the creation of nba all-star weekend and the

creation of marketing program with you as a basketball of the 1992 olympic dream team. ladies and gillette, the president north carolina 00 of the golden state warriors, rick wells. [applause] that cannot quit smiling. i think i know how the guy had to follow link in's gettysburg address feels. brilliantly done, as usual. what brought me to the warriors is exactly what you have seen from joe and he did today. rarely do you find odours so passionate about winning and so dedicated to creating a great -- not good, a great organization. today, what joe, peter, and the warriors are doing is acting in a very big way. there are a lot of people here who have played or will play key roles in making sure that we are all gathered back here for a

ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2017. i would like to acknowledge a couple of them. it was less than six months ago, mayor, that you directed the warriors and giants to work together to see if we could not find a location suitable for a multipurpose arena and a future home for the golden state warriors. today, we are on a site that was not available at that point, but when it did become available, this was it, and we knew this was it. the giants have welcomed us to the neighborhood. they have been generous in their time and support, and we want to thank the president and ceo of the giants and the giants organization. . [applause] red's javahouse. it was established in 1958. it is a beloved part of san francisco. its current owner was born the

same year. as i was enjoying a cheeseburger and a beer on sunday on the patio, i told him how much we want the tradition to live on as we build this great arena. sean is with us this morning. we look forward to working with you. [applause] the warriors promise you an arena that you will be very proud of. we promise that it will reflect the creativity, the diversity, the technological savvy, and the passion of this day area that the warriors have called home for 50 years. thank you for being here today as we embark upon this, the most important journey in the history of the warriors. thank you. pausing >> during his incredible successful 28-year tenure, the league has enjoyed enormous success, adding seven

franchises, a 30 fold increase in revenues, expanded national tv coverage, and wnba and nba t leads, open markets and 50 markets, and i 250 countries and territories around the world. ladies and gentlemen, the commissioner of the national basketball association and my main man, david stern. [applause] >> i was not sure whether he could read my handwriting. [laughter] but let me say, first of all, lt. governor newsom, mayor lee, a player lee, i want to thank

the golden state warriors, and particularly joe and peter and rick for inviting me to this incredible occasion. since every commissioner should be and probably is a sports fan, i wanted to do play-by-play. it would be incomplete of me not to recognize a couple of people who know all about the cow palace. would you guys stand up please? [applause] talk about a championship tradition for a franchise. talk about will. talk about just what this franchise has meant to the entire bay area. it is extraordinary to be here and reflect upon that. it is also extraordinary to reflect upon the fact that there

is an ownership group in place that is both an emotionally connected to sports and understands the impact that sports has on the community. i often talk about the same theme that peter echoed, that are read as --arenas are the one place where people come together with perhaps 19,000 perfect strangers to share in the collective exercise of routing the home team on to victory. that is reflected on our court as well where it does not matter where you came from -- if you've got a game, you are going to be on the team. there is an egalitarian aspect that is both great, and it does not matter whether you are in one of those fancy suites or the nosebleed section -- your opinion is as good as anybody else's. that is what is good about sports as well. our ownership group understands that. they are connected to it, and a combined it with a high-tech

vision and a keen sense of business about how to get it done, and that is all here today. so i am is so looking forward to being at that opening in 2017, and i thank you again for your support of the golden state warriors. [applause] >> our next speaker simply known as the nba logo, one of the biggest players and executives in the history of the league. he has won a combined 78 -- seven championships as a player and front office expected. 40-time nba all-star, 10-time all nba team member, and the fifth highest scoring average in nba history. ladies and gillette, hall of famer and current board member, jerry web.

>> thank you very much. it is really difficult following peter. peter, i think you should be a politician. you would be great. for these gentlemen down here, i was going to mention the california palace. can you imagine an area by the name of the cow palace? you had to go upstairs to the locker rooms. to think, what is going to be built on this incredible sight is fantastic. one of the most exciting days in my life was when i saw the first spade of derek being built -- with the city being built there, i could not wait to go play in a door read it. door read it. it brings enormous excitement