Tag: golden state warriors

SAN FRANCISCO — The WNBA’s New York Liberty tabbed one of the Warriors’ top assistant coaches to be their next head coach.

Longtime Golden State assistant Chris DeMarco agreed to a midseason deal to become their head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday morning. The New York Post’s Madeline Kenney first reported he was a leading candidate for the position on Tuesday.

DeMarco, 40, who is also the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national team that stars current Warrior Buddy Hield, has been an assistant coach for all four of the Warriors’ recent titles.

Following a Hall of Fame college playing career at Dominican University in San Rafael, he joined the organization as a video intern in 2012, becoming an advance scout in 2014 and advancing to becoming one of Kerr’s lead assistants this season.

“Yesssirrr CD,” Draymond Green wrote in a post on Instagram. “(New York) got a great one!”

He has handled skill development and has been lauded for his work as a defensive coach. He will now join a Liberty team with championship aspirations following a disappointing first-round exit this September.

The Liberty fired coach Sandy Brondello despite her leading the franchise to the 2024 title.

DeMarco will inherit a roster that expects to return perennial MVP candidates in Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Walnut Creek native Sabrina Ionescu.

NEW ORLEANS – Draymond Green had a contentious second-quarter discussion with a heckling courtside fan Sunday night in the Warriors’ win over the Pelicans, apparently due to the fan’s reference to a WNBA All-Star.

Standing at his locker at Smoothie King Arena after the win, Green explained that a fan on the baseline repeatedly called him a “woman.” Green then confronted the man with 2:02 remaining in the first half. Official Courtney Kirkland kept Green and the fan separated.

“It was a good joke at first, but you can’t call me a woman,” Green said. “I’ve got four kids and one on the way. He got quiet, though, so it’s fine.”

Green, 35, added that the fan “didn’t say much else” once Green got closer.

Though the Warriors star declined to specify whose name the fan was using, the Associated Press reported that the fan, who identified himself to the AP as Sam Green, was calling him “Angel Reese.”

Reese was a record-breaking rebounder at nearby LSU and has become a polarizing figure in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky while playing at an All-Star level. The fan told the AP that he made his verbal jab because Draymond Green had several rebounds but had not attempted many shots yet in the game, and that the Warriors player threatened to punch him if the taunts continued.

“It was a little unnerving,” said Sam Green, who insisted that he did not use profanity toward the Warriors’ four-time NBA champion.

Ushers were seen speaking with the fan after the incident, but he was allowed to remain in his seat for the rest of the game.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he did not know exactly what happened during the incident, but was not bothered by Draymond Green chatting with the fan.

SAN ANTONIO – Wearing a white shirt emblazoned with ‘John Beam’ and a black heart on the front, Warriors coach Steve Kerr began his pregame press conference in San Antonio Friday night by sharing his thoughts on the late football coach and Oakland icon.

Beam coached in the East Bay for 40 years, first at Skyline High School and then at Laney College, before retiring from coaching in 2024 and becoming Laney’s athletic director. He was shot in the head at the college’s athletic fieldhouse on Thursday, and was pronounced dead on Friday morning.

“It’s a really difficult time for people in Oakland right now,” Kerr said. “Coach Beam was a legend … a sad day, sad day for the Bay Area, and a sad day for coach Beam’s family.”

The longtime coach was beloved by members from every corner of the Oakland community, and later became a nationally-recognized figure for his role in Netflix’s “Last Chance U” documentary that featured Beam’s Eagles.

Kerr then made a heartfelt plea to address gun violence in the city that the Warriors played in until 2019.  

“Everybody knows he’s a revered figure in Oakland, who did so much for so many people,” Kerr said. “On behalf of the Warriors, I want to extend our condolences, and remind everybody we have to be the change, as a community, as citizens, we have to be the ones who insist that we address gun violence issues.”

Kerr said that he did not “know him personally,” but that the two had many mutual friends. 

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors’ longtime head coach was one of almost five million Californians who cast a ballot in support of Prop 50. 

After leading the team to a 118-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on Tuesday night, Steve Kerr explained why he supported the gerrymandering measure that will allow the voting districts to be redrawn ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

“I voted for it today. I didn’t love voting for it, but I felt it was necessary,” Kerr said. 

Kerr, now in his 11th season coaching the team, added that he hoped Prop 50 is not a permanent measure. 

“Hopefully, we can get back to a point where our democracy feels strong and healthy,” Kerr said. “It’s not right now. But I like the way the law was phrased that, if the other states decide to go back to what’s fair, then we will too. That’s why I voted for it.” 

Prop 50 was crafted in response to efforts made by conservative-led states to redraw their own districts ahead of the midterms as a way to gain more Republican seats in the legislature. 

California’s ballot measure is expected to add as many as five democratic seats to the national House of Representatives. 

Tuesday’s remarks were just the latest in a long list of politically-charged statements made by the coach who once spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. 

During April, Kerr wore a shirt in support of Harvard while the university was under fire by President Donald Trump’s administration. 

In October, Kerr attended and later voiced his support for the “No Kings” protests that opposed actions taken by the Trump presidency, and praised San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie for helping avert a surge of federal immigration officers into the city. 

“Beautiful people out there, and it was a love fest,” Kerr said of the “No Kings” protest. “Music playing, everybody marching peacefully. Everyone I saw 100% loves our country. And as is our country’s custom, if you don’t agree with what your government is doing, then you peacefully protest, and that’s how it should be. We are the democracy, we the people.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Just playing fast is no longer enough in today’s NBA. Now, playing at a frenetic pace is now the default.

With players skewing more and more athletic, and as long-distance shooting stretches defenses to their limit, offenses are pushing the limit on how fast they can play. 

Twenty-two teams are playing with a pace rating of at least 100, up from 14 teams a year ago. It is a trend Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team ranks 18th through seven games, knows well. 

“What I’m seeing is that teams are spreading you out, playing as fast as possible and making it difficult to get to your coverages defensively,” Kerr said. “The faster the actions, the more difficult it is for the defense to respond.”

Golden State entered its home matchup with the Phoenix Suns as losers of two consecutive games in the Midwest. Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers were missing stars against the Warriors, but they made up for it by pushing the ball up and down the court. 

“I thought the pace of the Milwaukee and Indiana games exposed what we were doing defensively, and we’ve got to improve those things,” Kerr said. 

With his roster headlined by four players aged 35 and older, Kerr and the organization have made it a public priority to keep his stars fresh for the postseason. That involves playing at a slower pace, something the team has somewhat succeeded in, and something the Warriors’ intricate halfcourt offense lends itself to. 

“We found the balance once we got Jimmy (Butler) … playing with a little more deliberatness and spacing once Jimmy got the ball,” Kerr said. “He’s one of the best iso players in the league.”

The other method involves resting players – much to Michael Jordan’s chagrin – to keep minutes down. 

The Warriors have already sat Al Horford in three games, counting Tuesday’s predetermined load management to avoid having him play in any back-to-backs. But the other three vets – Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Butler – have played in all seven of the team’s games. Both Curry and Butler are averaging north of 30 minutes a night, and Green comes in at a shade under at 29 a game. 

Golden State listed Butler as questionable with low back soreness but he started against the Suns. 

Kerr had hinted at starting to rest his stars during Monday’s practice.

“I sat down with Mike (Dunleavy) and Rick Celebrini, Dray, Steph and Jimmy, the three main guys who are going to play heavy minutes,” Kerr said, later adding, “The rules the NBA gives us in terms of which games guys can rest, which games they can’t. That’s something we are really having to dive into now that the seasons going and rolling. It’s not easy, but we’ll do it collaboratively.”

Steve Kerr and Jonathan Kuminga have – rather publicly – not seen eye to eye on many things the fifth-year forward does on a basketball court. 

But when the Warriors forward was ejected from the team’s fourth preseason game, tossed after arguing a no-call on a drive with 0.9 showing on the clock, the coach did not blast his player. 

He actually appreciated the intensity Kuminga showed when he got right in the official’s face to argue his case in Portland on Tuesday.  

“He got fouled, and it was frustration play, and I have no problem with it, because he deserved the foul and he was getting fouled quite a bit,” Kerr told media after the game, later adding, “I love the way he played, I love the fire, the passion. I don’t mind the ejection at all. I kind of liked it, actually. I thought JK was terrific.”

The Warriors defeated the Blazers 118-111. 

Kerr raved about Kuminga’s continued effort to showcase an all-around game. Aside from seven points, he also had four assists while playing the Draymond Green role out of the post and on the wing. 

His activity on the glass was also much improved from Sunday’s game against the Lakers, when Kuminga grabbed zero rebounds. 

“The way he ran on that play, the activity he played with, and he had six boards in one half in 17 minutes, that’s the JK who can really help our team,” Kerr said.  

Kuminga recently signed a two-year, $46.5 million contract after a dramatic summer-long negotiation with the front office. During his introductory press conference, he pledged to focus on more than just scoring, something he has done thus far. 

He has dished out 16 assists in four games, and has, aside from the goose egg in Los Angeles, grabbed at least five rebounds in each of the other three games. 

LOS ANGELES – A half dozen future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame were in Crypto Arena on Sunday night. Unfortunately for the paying public, most of them were inactive in the Warriors’ 126-116 loss to the host Lakers. 

On the Warriors bench, Steph Curry and Al Horford were in street clothes, and Jimmy Butler was not even in the building, as he missed the game for personal reasons. 

The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain. Luka Doncic was still not game-ready, and former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out a few hours before tipoff. 

The results were … predictably ugly for the Warriors. 

Starting Brandin Podziemski at point guard, Jonathan Kuminga next to Draymond Green at forward, and flanked by Quinten Post and Buddy Hield as shooters, the ragtag Warriors sputtered early, falling behind 63-46 by halftime. 

 If there was any area the team missed their stars, it was in the ballhandling department. Golden State committed 20 turnovers, a ghastly 14 of them in the first half. 

“The spacing wasn’t good,” coach Steve Kerr said. “then in the second half, that was much more how like we wanted to play.”

Podziemski was the star for shorthanded Golden State, with a stellar 23-point, eight assist night on 10 of 16 shooting. Kuminga poured in 13 points, and Gary Payton II had 11 points. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 21 points. Undrafted guard LJ Cryer scored 11 points, all in the fourth quarter. 

Green played 22 minutes, the most the 35-year-old has played thus far in any game this preseason. He will not suit up when the Warriors take on Portland on Tuesday.

“He will have the night off in Portland, and then play against the Clippers on Friday,” Kerr said.

The Warriors won the first matchup between West Coast teams 129-123 at Chase Center last week. 

Brandin Podziemski, point guard

Brandin Podziemski does all of the little things as a guard. He makes quick passes that maintain advantages. He fights for rebounds and earns Golden State extra possessions. He’ll make a few shots. 

But driving the offense as a point guard? That is far from one of his strengths, but something he was asked to do against the Lakers with Curry and Butler sitting. The results were decent, with the Santa Clara alum dishing out eight assists. 

“I think I’ve played pretty well (in preseason and training camp),” Podziemski said. “I’m just trying to find my lane and do the right things on and off the flor. And what I’ve been doing has been working.”

He flashed as a playmaker in the open court, driving in transition on a number of occasions before dishing off to a cutting Hield or another teammate.

 And on a night when his teammates couldn’t help themselves when it came to giving away possessions, Podziemski only had two turnovers. On an otherwise forgettable night in Los Angeles, Podziemski was a bright spot in the city of stars. 

Jonathan Kuminga keeps on passing

With the team’s top offensive engines sidelined, the stage was set for a Kuminga chuckfest. Instead, the fifth-year forward adhered to the same pass-first philosophy – an ill-advised pullup 3-pointer aside – he had shown in the first two games. 

Kuminga dished out six assists in 22 minutes, the most impressive being a pair of first quarter dimes thrown in the open court. He was also the only Warrior to reach the free throw line in the first half, knocking down both of his foul shots. 

GP2 still has it

Steve Kerr seems to love few things more than raving about Gary Payton II’s impact during the team’s run to the 2022 championship. Back then, Payton was a destructive and uber-athletic 6-foot-3 bundle of energy, capable of blowing up plays with hustle and a limitless vertical leap. 

These days, Payton, 32, is a step slower and cannot quite soar the way he could three years ago. But that does not stop him from making an impact in smaller bursts. 

In 16 minutes off the bench, Payton made all five of his shots and harassed any ballhandler he was assigned to. 

He had a vintage moment in the late third, when he finished a layup between four defenders, and then threw a pass to Will Richrd for a fastbreak layup on the next possession. 

Originally Published: October 12, 2025 at 8:49 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors should have all of their stars available for their preseason opener against the Lakers at Chase Center on Sunday.

Jimmy Butler “tweaked” his ankle during training camp practice on Thursday, and coach Steve Kerr and the medical staff held Butler out during the next two days. A few hours before tipoff, Kerr said the 36-year-old forward should be healthy enough to play.

“I think he’s gonna play,” Kerr said. “The vets won’t play in the second half. So Steph, Al, Jimmy  and Draymond, first half only, maybe 15 minutes.”

New signing De’Anthony Melton was also ruled unavailable for Sunday, as the guard is still rehabbing from a torn ACL that ended his 2024-25 season after just six games.

Rookie forward Alex Toohey’s debut was also delayed by at least one game as the Australian second-round pick is still dealing with tendinitis in his right knee. Seth Curry, Steph’s younger brother, was also a scratch.

“It’s because he came in late and hasn’t been cleared by the training staff,” Kerr said, noting that Seth Curry is completely healthy. He added that Kuminga is expected to play.

Third-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis, whom Kerr has praised during training camp after Jackson-Davis entered the preseason having slimmed down to 245 pounds, was questionable with a thumb injury.