'Most Beautiful Gift': What the Warriors Title Means to One Longtime Fan

In Section 128, Row 7 of Oakland's Oracle Arena, Modesto Sanchez sat with 10 family members on Friday night cheering as the Golden State Warriors clinched their second straight NBA championship.

Sanchez is wearing a Warriors bomber jacket and has his ticket in a lanyard around his neck. He's had season tickets for almost a decade, and his entire family is decked out in blue and gold swag for the big game.

"Everybody is loving the Golden State Warriors and I’m lovin’ every moment of this with my family," he said.

Sanchez is 53 years old and was born — and still lives — in the Bay Area city of Pittsburg.

He’s been coming to games since he was a kid with his dad, Alfredo Sanchez Sr. Back then, he says it was rare to see someone in Warriors gear, and the arena was so empty that he and his dad could sit almost anywhere.

His dad died of cancer two years ago.

If his dad was here today, Sanchez said, "He'd be ecstatic. He'd be the most happiest man in the Bay Area."

Sanchez says it took a team effort for the Warriors to win three championships in four years, and he says the same is true for “winning” in your own community. It’s why the words “we” and “team” are part of his regular vocabulary.

"If we all come together," Sanchez said, "they can be our example that there is strength in numbers," quoting the team's tagline.

As he watched the Warriors accept the championship trophy on Oracle Arena's Jumbotron, Sanchez was overcome with emotion.

"[The team] gave these people of Oakland, California, the most beautiful gift," he said. "Back-to-back championships. I can’t even speak no more. I’m at a loss of words, and I’m never at a loss for words."

Sanchez said he’ll be sure to attend the championship parade in Oakland on Tuesday.