After 47 seasons in Oakland, the Golden State Warriors relocated to the state-of-the-art Chase Center in San Francisco. For their 20-21 “City Edition” uniforms, the Warriors reignited the look and feel of the memorable We Believe Era, replacing the Warriors wordmark with a similarly typeset “Oakland” across the chest, paying homage to the roots of the franchise. Some viewed the repping of Oakland after leaving the town disingenuous. While important Oakland-specific programs by the Warriors continue and have since expanded with many community touchpoints, the court of public opinion demanded a bold statement. Instead of just focusing on superficial fandom, the Warriors aligned their narrative to the barriers being broken by a born-and-raised Oaklander, championing exactly the kind of diversity and inclusion the Warriors organization was, is, and will continue striving for.

The 2020 election was a landmark year in the women's movement toward equality. With Kamala Harris becoming the first female of Black and Indian descent to ascend to the Vice Presidency of the United States, and being from Oakland, CA, we had an authentic story to build from. Representation matters, with countless stories existing in culture of young girls witnessing what Kamala Harris has achieved, and believing they can do the same, or even one better. We bottled that inspiration and possibility for fans of the Warriors and the NBA, who skew predominantly male, to bring the conversation of DE&I to more audiences, supporting the continued shattering of glass ceilings.

The acronym MVP, or Most Valuable Player, has become synonymous with leadership and performance in sport. But, on one of the most anticipated Inauguration Days in history, the Warriors honored a new kind of M.V.P. – Madame Vice President Kamala Harris, a proud daughter of Oakland, with her very own Oakland Forever jersey, as she broke barriers for women and people of color forever.

As fate would have it, Kamala Harris was a lifelong Warriors fan, and being from Oakland, only Oakland could claim her as their own. We bottled the inspiration and possibility of her monumental achievement for fans of the Warriors and the NBA, who skew predominantly male, to bring the conversation of DE&I to a broader audience.

The weekend prior to Inauguration, a custom “Madame Vice President” jersey was pressed, signed, framed, and shipped to the VP-elect in Washington D.C. A short film highlighting the impact of Kamala Harris’ achievement, specifically for young girls of all races, was captured that weekend. The film featured a young girl in an oversized “49” jersey, a nod to the 49th Vice President of the US, and a metaphor for what she could grow into one day. The first on-court wear of the new Oakland Forever jerseys was timed with Inauguration Day, with the inspirational film being released to the Warriors millions of followers just prior to Kamala Harris being sworn into office. The film traveled quickly, and was requested by NBC Sports to air before, during, and after the game that night – for free.

On social, there were 2M video views and 508k engagements within 12 hours, with the Vice President herself even retweeting the video. Coaches, players, and external media applauded the message, and fans responded better than we could have hoped. The story was covered from the LA Times to The New York Times, on ESPN, NBC Sports, and many more. On 1/20, Warriors Shop sold 10x the daily average apparel, and more than doubled its best January ever in online sales. All with zero paid media. Months later, Kamala Harris was invited to introduce the All-Star Game, and referenced the jersey in her conversation with Michael B. Jordan, and Nickelodeon requested the film to air during the Kids Choice Awards, as much of the event was centered on female empowerment.