Rick Welts, the president of the Golden State Warriors, arrived at New York’s Pride March on Sunday with his partner, Todd Gage, wearing a T-shirt that read, “Proud Champions.” While the shirt commemorated the Warriors’ recent romp through the N.B.A. playoffs, its graphics were not confined to the team’s blue and gold but shaded in the colors of the rainbow.

Jason Collins, who in 2013 became the first active N.B.A. player to come out as gay, told Welts that he would love to get his hands on one of the shirts as they prepared to board the league’s float in the parade, an event the N.B.A. was participating in for the second year.

“We had to scramble to get them in time,” said Welts, who assured Collins that his own shirt would be forthcoming.

Before its launch down Fifth Avenue, the float slowly began to fill with executives and officials from the N.B.A. and the W.N.B.A. Bill Kennedy, one of the N.B.A.’s most respected referees, posed for photographs with three young women who were also taking part in the parade. They practically squealed when they spotted him. Kennedy said that more strangers had been recognizing him since he came out as gay about 18 months ago.