Newsom Plays Hoops, Thanks Poll Workers At Warriors' Oakland Election Facility

OAKLAND (CBS / AP) -- In an Election Day visit to the Bay Area, Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked poll workers and played basketball Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors' downtown Oakland facility, which is also a polling place this year.

The Democratic governor lost a shooting game to Golden State guard Damion Lee and worked on a passing drill at the team's former practice facility — now used for youth camps.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spins a basketball with Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee during a visit to the team's training facility, which is serving as a polling location, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Oakland. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The team posted video of the shootaround on its Twitter account.

Newsom applauded the NBA for opening facilities for voting and ballot drop-offs, as well as the stand taken on social issues by some of the game's biggest stars.

"I think sports has often been on the leading cutting edge of change," Newsom said. "It's been a force for good historically, and some of the most extraordinary icons in the social justice movement happen to be athletes."

Along with the team's Oakland facility, the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz also served as polling places.

© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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