Pride and Joy Poured Through San Francisco’s Armenian Community on Tuesday Night
BY ARMAN ARCHOUNIANI
Special to Asbarez
Armenians from around the Bay Area and nearby counties showed up in Armenian gear on March 18 to watch the Golden State Warriors play against the Milwaukee Bucks. The evening was full of events that tipped off at 4:30 p.m. at the pre-game Happy Hour at Harmonic Brewing in Thrive City at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Before the game, fans were getting ready to watch the Armenian cultural dances by Vonn Dance Group at center court at 6:30 p.m. It was truly a spectacular moment for the Armenian fans to witness their cultural music being played on the speakers alongside the dances. Another highlight were the special t-shirts made by the Warriors design team in Armenian tricolors that read “Armenian Heritage Night” in the front.
During the halftime show, Homenetmen San Francisco’s young girls’ teams held a scrimmage. It was truly an unforgettable moment that they will cherish for a very long time.
After the game concluded, the Armenian community stuck around for the postgame Q&A with Coach Steve Kerr and Milwaukee Bucks Assistant Coach Rex Kalamian. The panel was moderated by KTVU’s Gasia Mikaelian. Kalamian is also Armenia’s current National Basketball Team’s Head Coach.
Coach Kerr has a deep connection to the Armenian community. It all started when his grandparents saved thousands of children, orphaned during the Armenian Genocide. Kerr’s name is not only known to the Armenian community for being the Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, but became more beloved when he and his family attended KZV Armenian School’s 38th Annual Gala in 2019, where he shared his grandparents’ heroic story and his personal memories.
Members of the community had the opportunity to interact with and ask Kerr and Kalamian questions throughout the post-game session, to get to know them on a personal level. With many laughs and joyful moments, the night was a success for everybody in attendance for the Armenian community in San Francisco, especially as their local team, the Golden State Warriors came out victorious against the visiting team Milwaukee Bucks with a scoreline of 104-93.
Arman Archouniani is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and minored in media literacy. He was previously the sports editor for Golden Gate Xpress at San Francisco State University and The Skyline View at Skyline College.
