The Golden State Warriors ownership group is committed to Santa Cruz through 2026.
Santa Cruz, California and the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors’ ownership group are about ready to play the arena game in the coastal city not far from San Francisco. The Santa Cruz City Council is planning to review plans to expand the city’s downtown and that includes building an arena which could house the Warriors’ business’s G League franchise. If the plans move ahead, a 3,200-seat venue would be built but there is no word how much the building construction will cost or who will pay for the structure. In 2012, the Warriors’ ownership built the present venue with Santa Cruz loaning the ownership $3.5 million to build a no-frills arena that seats 2,500 people. It took 78 days to put up the facility. The arena was never intended to be a permanent structure but has managed to stay open for 13 years. The Warriors’ ownership is committed to remaining in Santa Cruz through 2026.
Warriors’ ownership has claimed that there are other communities near the San Francisco market that would be interested in housing the G League development team. But the Warriors’ ownership has indicated that it would like to remain in Santa Cruz, which is about 75 miles south of San Francisco. In 2023, the Warriors’ franchise president Chris Murphy said a new Santa Cruz arena would also host music concerts and other performance-oriented events, in addition to other athletic events. Murphy showed the council what the franchise planners have in mind for a Santa Cruz arena. “I hope you all in the community are as excited as I am when we see these drawings,” he said. “It’s been an amazing 13-year relationship with Santa Cruz. We look forward to that going on for decades to come. We want to be in Santa Cruz.” The Santa Cruz arena game is underway.
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Proposed Santa Cruz arena.
