Finally, the Warriors are willing to hold hands in public with Oakland.

The Warriors have new Oakland-themed jerseys for this coming season. This evening, the Warriors will unveil their new “The Town” jerseys. They are a take on the renowned “The City” jerseys — but with an Oakland twist.

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, the Warriors’ two biggest Nike endorsers, will take part in the press conference in Los Angeles as part of Nike’s rolling out of the new NBA uniforms. The images of the new uniforms were leaked from the NBA 2K18 video game on Wednesday, which featured the uniforms of all 30 teams.

The Athletic Bay Area will post exclusive images of the new uniforms on Friday evening, modeled by a special guest.

The Warriors have identified as Golden State since leaving San Francisco for Oakland in 1971. In those 46 years, this is the first time they will wear uniforms representing their host city specifically.

The new uniforms are charcoal, gold and white — same color scheme as the popular slate uniforms the Warriors have worn on Saturday games the last few years. A small, cursive “The” sits above “TOWN” — which is in big, capital letters and bends along the circle in the abdomen of the jersey. Inside the circle is a take on the City of Oakland tree logo and the player’s number.

“The Town” uniforms will be worn on Saturdays. They are now the Warriors’ alternate uniform, meaning they will be worn for years to come, including when the team moves to the Chase Center in San Francisco, scheduled for the 2019-2020 season.

The jerseys go on sale to the public on Black Friday, Nov. 24.

The man who orchestrated the project, Chip Bowers, the Warriors’ chief marketing officer, can barely wait for fans to see it.

“There is something special about Oakland,” said Bowers, who has been with the Warriors for five years. “The grit, I love it. I love the people. I love the pride that people have. I love the soul of Oakland. I’m from North Carolina. I’m from the South. One thing most southern people will tell you they’re most proud of is the soul of the people of the South. They’re authentic. You see that in Oakland. I love it.”

The process for getting a new uniform approved by the league takes about two years. The plans for doing an Oakland-themed jersey began during the 2014-15 season. In the middle of The Finals, in which the Warriors beat Cleveland, the NBA announced it had struck a merchandising deal with Nike, leaving adidas. The Warriors used that transition as their target window. This is the first season of the NBA’s new Nike arrangement.

The Warriors got the blessing of Oakland officials to use the tree logo. Oakland will not get proceeds from sales of the jersey bearing a variation of its logo. Municipal seals do not have trademark protections and cannot be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The Warriors also consulted Oaklandish — the local apparel company that helped popularize the city’s tree logo — since Oaklandish’s logo is similar to the City of Oakland tree logo. Oaklandish was not contracted to design the uniforms. Nike handled the design in house.

As far as the colors to use, the popularity of the slate uniforms made the decision a no-brainer.

“My No. 1 concern was that we’re the Warriors, but there is nothing in our identity that says Warriors other than the name,” Bowers said, explaining the genesis of the slate uniforms. “We’re white and blue and gold in color. I thought it would be great if we add something that could look like armor. And something that’s as a little more tech forward, innovative, urban. I knew the players would like it and get a kick out of it.”

The Warriors have resisted singling out Oakland in its merchandising for decades. Officially, the previous ownership didn’t want to exclude other parts of the Bay Area by identifying with Oakland specifically.

When the NBA instituted Hardwood Classic Nights — a promotional venture that allowed teams to wear throwback uniforms for identified games — the Warriors brought back “The City” uniforms. Then they resurrected the inaugural uniforms from when the team moved west, featuring “San Francisco” across the chest.

That played into a running rivalry between San Francisco and Oakland, a feud that can be as playful as bragging rights and as serious as a class war. Hardcore Oaklanders have been asking for the Warriors to officially and publicly claim Oakland as its own, much like the Raiders and A’s do, for years since. The murmuring grew when the Warriors were sold to Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who immediately began hinting about a move to San Francisco.

In 2012, the franchise announced it was moving back to San Francisco into a privately financed arena. In order to reverse the feelings of alienation felt by many of its Oakland fans, the Warriors began a campaign to compensate for the departure with attempts to step up its commitments to Oakland in other areas.

This new uniform is a part of that endeavor.

“It’s not my first choice,” Schaaf said. “The deal was done before I got (the Mayor’s office). But I am certain that this team is not leaving the community, just the building. I do believe the Warriors are working to prove that though they are moving to San Francisco, Oakland is an important part of this franchise.”

The Warriors have been pushing to be identified as The Bay’s team, just like the previous ownership. But instead of keeping the franchise region-neutral, the Warriors are embracing the city they’ve called home in a way they refused to do before.

It doesn’t replace the financial boon the city would’ve gained had the Warriors decided to build a privately financed arena in Oakland. But with “The Town” uniforms, the Warriors are giving Oakland fans what every true love wants — to be claimed publicly and proudly.

“It was important because it’s part of our ongoing messaging that, yes, we may be moving to Chase Center in San Francisco, but we are not giving up on the equity and the people and the fan base that we have in the East Bay,” Bowers said. “This is one step in that process. There will be more things that we do down the road that will show that ongoing commitment. But we felt like the fandom and what people wear on their chest is really important and represents who they are and what they believe in. And we want people in the East Bay and Oakland to feel proud, and Warriors fans in general, about our time and our heritage in Oakland.”

(Top photo by Rey Josue/NBAE via Getty Images)