"When Otis Watson closes his eyes, he can still see the San Jose Event Center awash in green and black jerseys. He can hear the sound of chants and rallies bouncing off the dimly lit gym, loud enough to wake the San Jose State students in neighboring Washburn Hall. It was here where Watson knew he could snag a decent bag of popcorn and what he recalls as the "best white wine in the Bay.""
"Nearly 30 years after owning the San Jose Lasers, Lacob is returning women's professional basketball to San Jose. On Wednesday, the Valkyries will play their first-ever home playoff game in San Jose, hosting the Minnesota Lynx for Game 2 of the first round at SAP Center, just a few miles from where the Lasers once called home. For Lacob, it's more than just a venue change forced by the Laver Cup tennis tournament taking over Chase Center this week. It's a chance to trace a straight line back to his beginnings in women's basketball."
""It's definitely a huge full-circle moment for me," Lacob told this news organization in a recent interview. "I think in San Jose, even 30 years ago, there was an appetite for women's basketball. "... It was not the first choice because our fans deserve to have a home playoff game, but I don't think it is a bad second choice, and I think it'll b"
Otis Watson vividly remembers the San Jose Event Center filled with green and black jerseys, loud chants, dim lighting, popcorn and the "best white wine in the Bay." Season ticket holders created sizable, enthusiastic, rowdy crowds that awarded the most boisterous fans. Watson noticed a young owner, Joe Lacob, visibly invested in every possession. Nearly 30 years after owning the San Jose Lasers, Lacob is bringing women's professional basketball back as the Valkyries play a home playoff game at SAP Center due to the Laver Cup moving Chase Center. Lacob frames the move as a full-circle reconnection to early fan appetite for the sport.
Read at The Mercury News
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