Santa Cruz Warriors named ‘Franchise of the Year’ for second time

The Santa Cruz Warriors were named “Franchise of the Year” for the 2020-21 NBA G League season.

“The entire Santa Cruz Warriors team and I are honored to receive this recognition by the league,” team president Chris Murphy said in a statement. “This year challenged us more than ever but as an entire group, we fought through adversity, and it showed in the community and on the court. This recognition is not only for us internally, but the entire Santa Cruz community.”

This marks the second time the Warriors have won this award after being recognized after the 2017-18 season.

Last season, en route to an 11-4 record and semifinal appearance, the Warriors hosted over 130 in-person and virtual events, including an anti-racism webinar attended by over 3,200 Santa Cruz and Bay Area students in February. The team also helped launch its “Swishes for Dishes” program to help combat food insecurity during the height of the pandemic. The initiative helped donate over 50,000 meals to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.

Additionally, in the aftermath of the CZU Lighting Complex Fire, Kaiser Permanente Arena was used as a recovery resource center for fire victims and displaced families. The arena also helped serve as a polling location during the general election and as a vaccination center.