Couple gets engaged at Chase Center during Warriors open practice
By Loureen Ayyoub
The NBA season hasn’t tipped off yet, but love is already heating up the hardwood at the Chase Center.
During the Golden State Warriors’ open practice, a fan event celebrating the community, one couple stole the spotlight with a surprise marriage proposal before the festivities began.
Basketball fan Miguel Vargas got down on one knee to propose to his partner, Vangielynne Pescador, in what he described as a carefully planned and deeply personal moment.
“I feel like I’m so overwhelmed. I blacked out during the entire process,” Pescador said shortly af the proposal. “Like, ‘pinch me if this is real’ moment. And I still feel like I’m on cloud nine.”
Pescador, a dedicated Warriors fan, received a warm greeting from Steph Curry during the open practice. While the couple shares a love of basketball, they don’t always cheer for the same team.
“We spend a lot of time here. We spend a lot of time arguing about our own respective teams. I’m a Lakers fan. She’s a Warriors fan,” Vargas said. “And so, this is the last place she ever expected me to pop the question.”
Vargas said he began planning the proposal in June and felt the Chase Center was the perfect place to celebrate their love story, one that, like any strong team, thrives on chemistry and collaboration.
“Sharing the game, sharing the philosophy of the game, how I push her to her limits, I push her to her strengths,” he said. “And I make sure that she knows who she is. She is very firm in where she stands. She knows that I need her just as much as she needs me.”
For Pescador, the magic of their relationship is found in the day-to-day joys and plenty of laughter.
“I don’t think there is ever a day where I don’t laugh,” she said. “Even if it’s him trolling me. Or if it’s us laughing at the dogs. I think it’s just always a fun conversation, and it never ends. And I think it’s going to be a forever thing, which I love the most.”
Because in love and basketball, teamwork always makes the dream work.
