Oakland native Kamala Harris loves the Golden State Warriors, and the feeling is mutual.
Harris was sworn in as the 49th vice president of the United States on Wednesday. She is the first woman to hold the position.
To commemorate the occasion, Warriors star Stephen Curry presented Harris with a customized No. 49 jersey with the name “Madame VP” on the back. The team, which played in Oakland from 1971 until moving to San Francisco last season, was sure to give Harris one of their 2020-21 City Edition jerseys that feature the name of her hometown across the front.
Curry addressed Harris as “Madame Vice President” in a video presentation of the jersey.
“Congratulations,” he said. “Blazing your own path, we are all rooting and supporting you the whole way.”
Curry and the Warriors visited President Obama at the White House to celebrate their 2015 NBA championship. They were invited to do the same following their 2017 title, but President Trump withdrew the invitation after Curry and others said they weren’t going. On their first team visit to Washington following their 2018 championship, Curry and the Warriors hung out with Obama in his Washington, D.C., office in lieu of a White House visit.
In his video to Harris, Curry suggested the jersey could give the team a White House presence once again.
“I’m not saying you’ve got to put this up in your office at the White House,” Curry said, “but it probably would be a good idea.”
A video tweeted by the Warriors shows a thrilled Harris receiving the framed jersey. She said she has every intention to follow Curry’s decorating advice.
“This means so much to me, you guys,” Harris said. “I will proudly, proudly display this in the office of the vice president of the United States, an office I am about to occupy and I cannot thank you enough and you always bring such joy and pride to me, as a daughter of Oakland.”
She added: “This is really so very special. So thank you all, and I hope to see you soon. Go Warriors!”