California Golden Bears Basketball Tickets

Berkeley has gained fame over the years for quite a few things, including political activism, beautiful hills and a stellar state university. When sports fans in this city go indoors during the winter, one of their favorite attractions is the Golden Bears’ basketball team.

Cal was a charter member of the Pacific Coast Conference, which began play in 1916, and also included Washington, Oregon and Oregon State (then known as Oregon Agricultural College). That conference later became the Pac-10 and Pac-12, in which Cal currently competes. Their archrival – as always – is Stanford, located less than 40 miles away.

The Golden Bears reached their hoops zenith in 1959, when head coach Pete Newell led them to a national championship. The school also made NCAA Final Four appearances in 1946 and 1960, and has won 15 regular-season conference titles.

A number of Bears have had their numbers retired, including Darrall Imhoff, Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Alfred Grigsby. Johnson later became the mayor of Sacramento, while Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star. One of Kidd’s teammates was Tony Gonzalez, who reached 14 Pro Bowls as an NFL tight end.

The Bears play home games at Haas Pavilion (formerly known as Harmon Gym) which was built in 1933 and renovated in the late 1990s. It features a courtside student section known as “The Bench,” and is notably absent of any soundproofing devices.

Haas is on campus, just a few blocks from the center of downtown Berkeley. You’ll find restaurants, affordable parking and a BART station nearby.

Next time you’re in Bear Territory, make sure to catch some hoops. Get your tickets now!