Warriors Consider S.F. Return

Reps for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors are considering a return to San Francisco when the team’s lease at Oakland’s Oracle Arena ends after the 2016-17 season.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and team owners Peter Gruber and Joe Lacob have met to discuss the possibility of building an arena near AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play.

“The potential for building an arena near AT&T Park is very exciting,” Lacob said. “The Giants have done some remarkable things over there. It’s a great ballpark that revitalized an entire part of the city.”

Lacob and Gruber have also talked with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan about replacing the 19,200-capacity Oracle Arena, built in 1966, at its current site.

The former San Francisco Warriors played at the Cow Palace in the 1960s until the team moved to the East Bay in 1971.

The Warriors aren’t the only team potentially leaving Oakland. The neighboring O.co Coliseum remains one of the oldest in Major League Baseball, with Oakland Athletics ownership having trouble finding a new home for the team after plans fell through a couple of years ago for a new stadium in the nearby suburb of Fremont.