Warriors’ championship trophy takes a star turn in SF

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry holds the Larry O'Brien trophy during championship parade on Broadway in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 15, 2017. Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry holds the Larry O'Brien trophy during championship parade on Broadway in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 15, 2017. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 107 Caption Close Warriors’ championship trophy takes a star turn in SF 1 / 107 Back to Gallery

The Warriors clinched the 2017 Finals in Oakland, but their trophy has already inched its way across the bridge — two years before the team’s anticipated move to a flashy arena in San Francisco’s Mission Bay.

Fans lined up by the dozens to see the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy when it cameoed at Westfield San Francisco Centre on Sunday, giving the public a taste of what will happen when Oakland’s team relocates to the land of cable cars and tech startups.

Some puckered their lips and fake-smooched the trophy’s 24-karat veneer. Others posed for family portraits, beaming beside the basketball-shaped bust. Many wore Steph Curry jerseys and hats with the team’s famed Bay Bridge logo.

A few couldn’t hide their frustration about the coming move.

“It’s disappointing,” said Roy Johnson, 56, of Union City. “The Oakland location is a lot easier to get to, and there’s going to be a lot of traffic congestion at this new one.”

JR Wilson bunched up his mouth and sighed when he contemplated the move.

“I have mixed feelings,” said Wilson, 58, of Oakland. “Obviously, the ticket prices are going to be higher, and it won’t be easy to get to.”

Others were resigned.

“Well, I’m indifferent,” said Melvin Alvarez, 28, of Richmond. “This is the bay’s team.”

Some fans viewed the team’s forthcoming resettlement as a homecoming, given that the Warriors played in San Francisco from 1962 to 1971.

Winifred Devera, an ardent devotee who lives South of Market, said he was eager to welcome the team home. He stood in line at the mall Sunday with his fingernails painted with the team’s colors, in opalescent blue and gold.

The Warriors’ plans to start their 2019 season in the privately financed, billion-dollar Chase Center arena have caused resentment to simmer among fans in their current East Bay home. Longtime ticket-holders who supported the team during a years-long slump say the prices at Chase Center would probably be out of reach.

Many, including Wilson, are also reeling from the impending loss of the Oakland Raiders, who will depart for Las Vegas in 2020.

Even so, Wilson took comfort that the Larry O’Brien trophy had its San Francisco star turn in a commuter-friendly venue.

“At least people can take BART to see it,” he said. “It’s not like they put it on Pluto or something.”

Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan