Warriors President & COO Rick Welts said that Chase Center "remains on pace" to open in the fall of '19, according to Mark Medina of the EAST BAY TIMES. Welts and Warriors VP/Construction & Development Peter Bryan said that by November '18, Chase Center and its adjacent facilities "will have a roof as well as glass and metal panel that will protect the structures from rain." The Warriors currently "practice in downtown Oakland about 15 minutes from Oracle Arena." When the Warriors "begin playing at Chase Center, they will practice at a facility adjacent to the arena." The Warriors' staff "will work onsite, too." Welts said, "That's a big change. The locker-room facilities, the training facilities, all of the amenities will be part of the player campus that will be something they’re experiencing every day. It's not just on game days and not just on practice days." Welts added the team views its current practice facility in downtown Oakland as "something we want to maintain once we have moved our primary office facilities" to S.F. As the Warriors prepare for their move, Welts "stressed that 'we're not forgetting about Oakland.'" Medina noted since launching the Oakland-themed "Town" jerseys in early November, the Warriors "touted that jersey has accounted" for 34% of their sales through their team website. Welts said that the Warriors will "continue to hold events in Oakland, including player promotional appearances and work with the franchise's community foundation." Meanwhile, Medina reported the plan is for Chase Center to "host 20 events per year, possibly including future NCAA tournaments and NBA All-Star Games" (EAST BAY TIMES, 12/16).
