The idled army of 1,500 ushers, vendors, janitors and other workers who keep Chase Center humming has been thrown a lifeline.

The Warriors’ owners, players and coaches will donate $1 million to a community relief fund. In a release, the Warriors said the fund, in part, will go to the Chase Center workers to help them ride out the shutdown of the NBA schedule and San Francisco’s ban on concerts and other large gatherings. The fund could grow and benefit others, depending on donations.

“That first million dollars is all going to the workers,” said Warriors VP of Communications Raymond Ridder.

Additional donations to the fund will be used to aid arena workers and other people impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

All money received by the workers will be tax-free, through the Warriors Community Foundation. The team also noted that the workers are eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.

“The last few days have been extremely challenging for all Bay Area citizens as we deal with the hourly changes in this unprecedented situation,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a press release. “Our players, coaches, ownership and management have been focused on creating a way to assist our part-time employees. We are addressing the potential hardships these hard-working individuals may encounter during this hiatus in the NBA season. While everyone and every business is impacted, those who are fortunate enough to be in a position to help, need to help.”

Stephen Curry added in the release, “The men and women who work our games at Chase Center are critical in providing an incredible game-night experience for our fans, including of course, the popcorn vendors. As players, we wanted to do something, along with our ownership and coaches, to help ease the pain during this time.”

The Warriors are the first Bay Area sports team to feel the spotlight glare on their response to helping the out-of-work workers. The Sharks are also in that glare, and soon the Giants and A’s will be, but the light shines brightest now on the Warriors, the golden dynasty team playing in a brand-new sports palace, and seemingly awash with cash.

The value of NBA franchises has been on a steady rise in recent years, and the Warriors are worth $4.3 billion, according to Forbes. Lacob and Peter Guber bought the team in 2010 for $450 million.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Wednesday at a press conference, “We feel for the workers, mostly, the low-income wage earners that count on working our games. If you’re going to have empathy, have it for them (and) not for us.”

Friday the Warriors walked the walk. Some other teams are joining that party.

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said Wednesday at a press conference that he has “already started the process of having a program in place” to pay workers whose income depends on NBA games.

Cuban gave no details but said that the Mavericks’ assistance program might require employees to do “volunteer work,” which opens up possibilities for other teams to copy.

One Chase Center worker, Sylvia Lewis, said she would be receptive to doing out-of-venue work for the Warriors in order to maintain some cash flow.

“If there’s a job that they want us to do from our home, if they want us to do mailers, or whatever needs to be done, I am definitely willing to do it, because I need to work,” said Lewis, a “team leader” who manages the staff at a food concession at Chase. “I cannot afford to lose my home.”

Some of the Chase workers use their game jobs as supplemental income. But many of these folks also work at other venues, like Giants’ games and A’s games, and their stadium/arena jobs are their sole income.

The Warriors have not said how much it costs the team to staff a game or concert, but here’s a ballpark (or arena) guesstimate: If 1,500 employees each work an eight-hour shift, at an estimated average wage of $25 per hour, that’s $300,000 per game.

The Warriors don’t have another scheduled home game until March 26. There are eight other events scheduled at Chase between now and the end of March, and six remaining home games on the Warriors’ schedule.

NBA team owners aren’t the only folks who have benefited financially from the league’s growing popularity. The average NBA salary this season is $7.7 million, per Basketball Reference, up from last season’s $6.4 million average.

So the average per-game pay for an NBA player is $93,902 and change. By the collective bargaining agreement, each player could lose 1/92.6 of his salary for every game missed. But even if the players go unpaid for unplayed games, and the rest of the season is wiped out, the average player has already earned $6.1 million this season.

Players are beginning to step up to help. Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans’ 19-year-old rookie phenom, said Friday, “I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center (the Pelicans’ home arena) workers for the next 30 days.”

Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers pledged $100,000 to the Cavs’ arena and support staff, from his Kevin Love Fund.

“I hope that during this time of crisis, others will join me in supporting our communities,” Love said on Instagram.

Love added, “I encourage everyone to take care of themselves and to reach out to others in need — whether that means supporting your local charities. . .or checking in on your colleagues and family.”

Scott Ostler is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: sostler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @scottostler