Our 2026 Bay Area Sports Preview

In 2025, the Warriors landed Jimmy Butler, the Giants added Rafael Devers and the Valkyries stormed into the playoffs. As the year ended, the 49ers surged and Kyle Shanahan’s team opens the month of January with a shot at an NFC West title. What should Bay Area sports fans expect in 2026? On this episode of Section 415, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill joins host Kerry Crowley to take a peek into the future and discuss the major storylines for each Bay Area franchise for the year ahead. Will Steve Kerr, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green all remain with the Warriors when next season begins? Can Buster Posey position the Giants to compete for a playoff berth? And is 2026 the year Cal and Stanford bring college football fever back to the Bay Area? It’s too soon to know the answers to any of those questions, but as the year begins, we’ll make educated guesses anyway. This episode was produced by Dakota London and edited by Sophie Bearman. Sophie Bearman is our head of audio. Our show art is by Jess Hutchison; theme music by Hannis Brown.  We’re a production of the San Francisco Standard, which you can support by becoming a member at sfstandard.com/signup. I’m your host Kerry Crowley, thank you for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices