Fansided

Warriors invite 105-year old fan to Game 1 for free

By Stanford Crissey

Oct 30, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; T-shirts depicting a map of the bay area and the new bay bridge Golden State Warriors logo at Oracle Arena before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; T-shirts depicting a map of the bay area and the new bay bridge Golden State Warriors logo at Oracle Arena before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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‘Sweetie,” a 105-year-old fan of the Golden State Warriors, is going to Game 1 of the NBA Finals for free.

The Golden State Warriors are going to their first NBA Finals since 1975 on the strength of the play of MVP Steph Curry and the maturation of young players such as Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson.

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Yet their biggest cheerleader in this run to the Finals has been one of the oldest people in the world.

“Sweetie,” a 105-year-old fan of the Warriors, has become a beloved figure in this playoff run after being profiled by Mashable sports writer Sam Laird. The story is a heartwarming tale of how the old woman and her cat watch Warriors games, and what happiness the basketball team has brought her.

Now, the Warriors have made a special effort to bring Sweetie to Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The team has comped the soon to be 106-year-old woman with a free ticket to see the first game of the Finals in a suite at the Oracle Arena.

Here’s Sweetie celebrating the team’s Conference Finals win:

The local media has given Sweetie considerable attention, and in fact, the story caught the attention of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who gave Sweetie a special shout-out in a press conference.

“There was a great story the other day that [Warriors vice president of communications] Raymond [Ridder] sent me about a woman who is 105 years old, and she goes by the name of Sweetie, and she’s been following the Warriors forever and loves the Warriors,” Kerr said during his post-Game 5 press conference. “It was a wonderful story about how much joy she gets watching our games and following our team. You know, you think a lot about people like that who have been following the team for a long time and how they’re feeling.

“I’m happy for all of our fans — and especially Sweetie, if you’re watching out there,” Kerr added with a smile. “Congrats.”

In fact, Sweetie has gotten so much attention that her daughter has asked the press not to use her mother’s real name.

Sweetie, for her part, is happy to be able to see the game in person.

“I want them to win when I can see it!” she said in the Mashable story. “And they’re gonna win. Oh, yes. Oh, yes.”

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