Helen Brooks, the beloved "oldest fan" of the Warriors better known as "Sweetie," died Thursday. She was 107.
Brooks captured the hearts of the Warriors and their fans with her unwavering — and sometimes brutally honest — support for her favorite NBA team during its back-to-back trips to the NBA Finals. She received television shout outs from coach Steve Kerr and was invited by the team last season to watch a game in a suite at Oracle Arena.
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Brooks' daughter, Lily Toney, told the East Bay Timesher mother “just literally slept away" Thursday morning at an assisted living center in Northern California.
Toney said Brooks was able to watch the Warriors beat the Jazz on Tuesday night by 30 points.
She last attended a game at Oracle Arena on June 16 — Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cavaliers.
Sweetie's favorite @warriorsplayer was Draymond. President @RickWeltspresents autographed picture. Rest In Peace! pic.twitter.com/5obG3yXL6i
— carolyn tyler (@ctylerabc7) December 22, 2016
Kerr paid homage to Brooks before Golden State played the Nets in Brooklyn.
“We lost our oldest fan of the Warriors today. A woman named Sweetie. Her story has been told in the Bay Area a ton of times. She was 107 years old,” he told reporters. “Literally the oldest living Warriors fan. She took great joy in our team over the years and especially when we won the championship a couple years ago. She was really happy. We heard about her passing today and wanted to send along our condolences to her family.”
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The Warriors also released an official statement on Brooks' passing.
Sweetie loved her Warriors! She passed away this morning at age 107. She'll root the team on from above. 💛💙🏀 pic.twitter.com/gVVhffmMHV
— carolyn tyler (@ctylerabc7) December 22, 2016
“Her enthusiasm and zest for life and the Warriors were second to none, even as she surpassed the century mark. Sweetie’s presence at Oracle Arena during our championship season was as big of a thrill for us as it was for her.”
Brooks, born in Ennis, Texas, in 1909, is survived by two children, Toney, 77, and son Frank Knight, 82; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
