Golden State Warriors Fan Hopes for NBA Championship for 107th Birthday
Sweetie has become a famous fan of the Golden State team.
— -- A 106-year-old superfan of the Golden State Warriors is hoping her team will bring home the 2016 NBA Championship for her 107th birthday.
The fan, Sweetie, turns 107 on Sunday. She watches every Warriors game wearing a Golden State beanie and a Warriors T-shirt, often one that features her favorite player, forward Draymond Green.
“She liked him from the beginning because he was new and he’s grown over the years and she’s so proud of his progress and what he’s done,” Sweetie’s daughter, Lily Toney, 76, told ABC News.
Sweetie, who has lived in Oakland, California, since 1936, began watching the Warriors games with her husband, who died in 1999. She gained recognition during the Warriors’ championship run last year, and even got a shout-out from Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr during a press conference.
“Last year, she was all over the place on TV and she said, ‘Gee, that’s probably why I’ve lived this long. I was supposed to be the oldest Warriors fan and now I’m getting recognition,’” Toney said. “She’s eating it all up.”
Toney said her mom, who asked to keep her last name private, watches the Warriors games in her bedroom at home.
Toney and her cousins are often there cheering with Sweetie, who doesn’t hold back her opinions about how Green, Steph Curry and the rest of the Warriors are playing.
“Oh yes. I watch them and fuss at them, too, if they don't do what I want them to do,” Sweetie told ABC-owned station KGO-TV. “I know they can't hear me, it's kind of stupid, but I do it anyway."
The Warriors currently lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-1 in the series. They will next play on Friday in Cleveland and then on Monday, the day after Sweetie’s birthday, at home in Oakland.
“She’s always told our family to support each other and she sees that same concept when she watches the Warriors,” said Toney, one of Sweetie’s three children. “She’ll say, ‘See, they’re a team.’”
If the Warriors do repeat as NBA championships, Sweetie will not be celebrating with champagne. The 106-year-old has never had a drop of alcohol in her life, according to her daughter.
Toney attributes her mom's longevity to a diet of fruits and vegetables, and lots of milk and water, but mostly a positive attitude.
"I know that that’s a big part of why she’s still with us," Toney said. "She doesn’t let anything upset her. If anything happens in a negative mode, she says, 'That’s okay, keep going.'"
