Category: Warriors

Watch: Phil Mickelson hits famous golf flop shot over Steph Curry at San Francisco’s Harding Park

Defending PGA champion Phil Mickelson showed off his famous flop shot by hitting a golf ball over Steph Curry at San Francisco’s Harding Park.

After facing off in “The Match III,” Steph Curry met Phil Mickelson on the golf course for the second time. But, instead of battling against each other, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and “The Lefty” gathered on the greens for a different reason.

While at San Francisco’s TPC Harding Park, Curry linked up with the defending PGA Champion for one of his famous flop shots. Curry lined up just inches away from Mickelson as he prepared to hit the ball onto the green with the 6-foot-3 point guard standing in his way.

Mickelson knocked a sky-high flop shot over Curry that plopped right onto the green. After safely landing the ball on the green over the Golden State Warriors point guard, the two athletes shared a hug.

Via @CAlvarezABC7 on Twitter:

Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:

After taking part in Mickelson’s famous flop shot experience, Curry admitted his heart “skipped a beat.” Despite Curry and the rest of Dub Nation’s nerves, Mickelson responded to NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter, saying there was “nothing to worry about.”

Via @PhilMickelson on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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Report: Kris Weems moving to player development coach with Warriors, Seth Cooper named head coach of G League Santa Cruz

With Kris Weems reportedly moving to a player development coaching role with the Warriors, Seth Cooper has been named the head coach of the G League Santa Cruz Warriors.

After the departures of longtime assistants like Jarron Collins and Aaron Miles during the 2021 offseason, the Golden State Warriors added new assistant coaches Kenny Atkinson, Dejan Milojevic and Jama Mahlalela.

Before the Golden State Warriors open the new 2021-22 season, there will be more coaching changes throughout the organization. After leading the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League since 2019, Kris Weems is reportedly moving into a player development coach with the Golden State Warriors, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

With Weems moving to Golden State’s bench, Seth Cooper has been named the new head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Via @anthonyVslater on Twitter:

As the head coach of the G League Warriors, Weems worked with players like Jordan Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damion Lee. All former Santa Cruz players that are currently on Golden State’s roster for the 2021-22 season. Weems will now have the opportunity to work with his former players in Golden State on Steve Kerr’s staff.

Prior to joining the SeaDubs, Cooper worked as a player development coach with the Warriors for two seasons. Cooper has G League experience, serving as the Maine Red Claws associate head coach. Maine is the G League affiliate of the Boston Celtics.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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Watch: Rookie Jonathan Kuminga goes through offseason workout at Warriors facility

Before the start of his first NBA training camp, rookie Jonathan Kuminga was at the Warriors facility putting in work.

After impressing in the Las Vegas Summer League, Jonathan Kuminga continued his rookie offseason with a stop at the Golden State Warriors facility.

The G League Ignite product spent time at the San Francisco court with basketball skill development coach John Davis III working on his game. Davis shared some clips of the workout on his Instagram story. Kuminga was working on his jumper, dunks and handles.

Via @warriorsworld on Twitter:

During the Summer League, the 18-year-old averaged 17.4 points on 39.7% shooting from the floor with 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game averages in four contests.

When training camp opens, Kuminga will get the chance to work with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the rest of his new teammates since being drafted by the Warriors with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 draft.

Kuminga will suit up for his first preseason game with the Warriors on Oct. 4 against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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Watch: Warriors’ Draymond Green returns to Michigan State for workout with former Spartans

Warriors forward Draymond Green returned to East Lansing for a workout at Michigan State with some former Spartans.

Before the Golden State Warriors open training camp ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season, Draymond Green made an appearance at his old stomping grounds.

Joined by fellow former Spartans, the Warriors forward returned to East Lansing for “Spartan Grind Week” at Michigan State. Green was joined by Michigan State alums like Jaren Jackson Jr., Gary Harris Jr., Denzel Valentine, Travis Trice and others.

Via @MSU_Basketball on Twitter:

Along with appearing on campus, Green suited up in green and white for a workout at the basketball facility. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year showed off his bounce with an emphatic dunk during a scrimmage.

Via @marchmadness on Twitter:

After his career at Michigan State came to a close, Green finished as the school’s all-time leading rebounder, second in blocks and steals. He recorded three career college triple-doubles in East Lansing, second to Magic Johnson. Green was named a consensus first-team All-American, NABC Player of the Years and Big Ten Player of the Year all in 2012. Under Tom Izzo, Green led the Spartans to two final four appearances and three Big Ten regular-season championships.

In 2019, Michigan State retired Green’s No. 23 during a halftime ceremony against Duke.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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Warriors land Iowa’s Keegan Murray in early Rookie Wire mock draft

With a fresh draft cycle approaching, the Golden State Warriors landed Iowa’s Keegan Murray in Rookie Wire’s early 2022 NBA mock draft.

Over the past two years, the Golden State Warriors have been at the center of the NBA draft. With a trio of lottery picks in the 2020 and 2021 draft, the Warriors have brought in top prospects like James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

All three players will likely play a key role as Golden State attempts to make a run back to the postseason in the 2021-22 season. While a potential playoff campaign behind a healthy Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will likely serve as the priority for the Warriors, it’s never too early to keep an eye on the NBA draft.

With the new college basketball and NBA season approaching, Cody Taylor of USA Today’s Rookie Wire released an early 2022 mock draft. While prospects like Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Hardy headline the 2022 class, the Warriors didn’t hit the clock till deep into the first round.

With the No. 27 pick in the Rookie Wire mock draft, the Warriors landed Iowa’s Keegan Murray. According to Taylor, Murray is viewed as one of the top returning players in college hoops.

Via Rookie Wire:

Murray was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team after averaging 7.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots in 31 games. He was one of five players in the country to register at least 200 points, 35 blocks, 25 steals and 15 3-pointers. He is viewed as one of the top returning players this season and could find himself as a late first-round pick with another strong season for the Hawkeyes. The team just lost big production from Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp, so Murray figures to have a bigger role next season.

In his freshman season with the Hawkeyes, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 7.2 points on 50.6% shooting from the floor with 5.1 boards and 1.3 blocks in 18 minutes per contest. In 2021 against Rutgers, Murray recorded a near double-double with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field with nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

Heading into the 2022 draft season, Murray will be a name to monitor in college basketball.

For Taylor’s full 2022 mock draft, check out Rookie Wire here.

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NBA roster spot battles with Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan

Which NBA players will earn spots on the Blazers, Timberwolves, Nets, Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Warriors, Thunder, Pelicans

On the latest edition of the HoopsHype podcast, hosts Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan discussed which players could earn roster spots on the Blazers, Timberwolves, Nets, Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Spurs, Grizzlies, Warriors, Thunder, Pelicans, and more.

For more interviews with players, coaches, and media members, be sure to like and subscribe to the HoopsHype podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Listen to the podcast above or check out some snippets of the conversation in a transcribed version below.

Warriors’ Steph Curry joins crypto exchange FTX as ambassador

Shortly after asking for advice in the cryptocurrency space on Twitter, Steph Curry has joined the exchange FTX as a global ambassador.

It didn’t take long for Steph Curry to get involved in the ever-rising cryptocurrency market.

Shortly after asking for advice in the crypto game on Twitter, the Golden State Warriors All-Star point guard struck a new deal as an ambassador for a crypto exchange.

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

Joe Pompilano of Huddle Up first reported Curry has agreed to a long-term deal with the exchange FTX Trading Limited as a global ambassador. FTX serves as a trading platform for different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

Via @JoePompliano on Twitter:

According to Pompilano, Curry will receive an equity stake in the company as a part of his new deal. FTX will also make an annual charitable contribution for Steph and Ayesha Curry’s family foundation, Eat. Play. Learn.

The two-time NBA Most Valuable player will join Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady as ambassadors for FTX.

Curry was recently active in the NFT market, purchasing a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT. The 33-year-old changed his Twitter profile avatar to a picture of the Bored Ape NFT.

FTX and Curry released a video to announce his partnership with the crypto exchange. Watch Curry’s announcement video via @FTX_Official on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

Warriors land at No. 7 in NBA.com’s 2021 Western Conference offseason power rankings

With the new 2021-22 campaign quickly approaching, the Golden State Warriors landed at No. 7 in NBA.com’s offseason power rankings.

With training camp quickly approaching before opening night, teams around the NBA are putting a bow on the 2021 offseason. After back-to-back losses in the Western Conference play-in game, the Golden State Warriors were tasked with building a roster that could make a run back to the postseason.

After adding Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody in the 2021 NBA draft, the Warriors turned their attention to the veteran market. Golden State signed proven veterans like Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and Andre Iguodala.

With most of Golden State’s offseason work complete, it’s time for power rankings. John Schuhmann of NBA.com penciled the Warriors in at No. 7 in his Western Conference power rankings.

Despite veteran additions and new rookies on the roster, Golden State’s most significant question mark lands at James Wiseman, per Schuhmann. The 2020 No. 2 overall pick averaged 11.5 points on 51.9% shooting from the field with 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 21.4 minutes per game. However, his rookie campaign was limited to 39 games after a knee injury.

Via NBA.com:

The roster additions, along with the (eventual) return of Thompson and the emergence of Juan Toscano-Anderson, should give the Warriors more small-ball options. Without Thompson, they outscored their opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions in 871 minutes with Green at the five last season. But that was just 44% of Green’s total minutes, and at 6-6 and 31 years old, he obviously can’t be a full-time center. Kevon Looney remains solid and Nemanja Bjelica can play some at the five, but it would be nice if Wiseman wasn’t the plus-minus sinkhole that he was as a rookie. His on-off differential — the Warriors were 13.5 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor (-8.8) than they were with him off the floor (+4.7) — was the worst among 363 players who played at least 500 minutes for a single team.

Interestingly, the differential was much bigger on offense (10.9 per 100) than it was on defense (2.6), where Wiseman ranked dead last in deflections per 36 minutes. The 75.4% he shot in the restricted area was the best mark for a rookie with at least 150 restricted-area attempts in the 25 years for which we have shot-location data, but there wasn’t much beyond the finishing at the rim. Of course, it’s asking a lot of a rookie (who played just three college games) to get on the same page as Curry and Green, who run a nightly clinic on offensive improvisation. Year 2 will another chance to catch up.

The defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns sat at No. 1 on the power rankings board with LeBron James and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers resting at No. 2.

The Warriors were slotted one position behind the Denver Nuggets at No. 6 and one spot ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7. The Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves rounded out the top 10 behind Golden State and Portland.

View NBA.com’s complete list of power rankings here.

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Warriors’ Klay Thompson joins rapper E-40 at San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game

Klay Thompson was in attendance with E-40 for the Giants’ rivalry game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco’s Oracle Park.

As he continues his rehab and gears up for his long-awaited return to the Golden State Warriors’ lineup, Klay Thompson took a break to take in a game at the diamond.

With the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers fighting for the top spot in the National League’s West division, the Warriors shooting guard was in attendance for the rivalry battle at Oracle Park. While wearing a bucket hat from the Masters, Thompson was spotted in the crowd.

Via @BleacherReport on Twitter:

Thompson took to Instagram to share a photo of himself and legendary Bay Area rapper E-40 together at the ballpark.

Via @klaythompson on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTdtZb9nF80/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Thompson provided a good luck charm for the Giants. Behind a home run from Brandon Belt, a two-run RBI triple from Steven Duggar and more RBIs from Brandon Crawford, Darin Ruf, Curt Casali and Mike Yastrzemski, the Giants surged past the Dodgers, 6-4. With the victory, the Giants grabbed a tight one-game lead over the Dodgers in the NL West.

If the Giants clinch a playoff spot and meet the Dodgers in October, Thompson might have to make another appearance at Oracle Park.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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Warriors’ Draymond Green in attendance for Damian Lillard’s wedding

As Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard tied the knot at his star-studded wedding, Warriors forward Draymond Green was in attendance.

After winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Damian Lillard tied the knot before the start of the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. On Saturday, the Portland Trail Blazers All-Star point guard made it official with his bride Kay’La Hanson.

Lillard’s Team USA teammate Draymond Green and his wife Hazel Renee were two of the members on the guestlist for the Lillard wedding. The Golden State Warriors forward joined other NBA players like Washington’s Bradley Beal and Portland’s CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and more at Lillard’s big day.

Via @TheWarriorsTalk on Twitter:

Via @bosnianbeast27 on Twitter:

Along with an All-Star cast of NBA players in attendance, Lillard’s wedding included performances from Snoop Dogg, Common and Tevin Campbell.

As videos began to be posted to social media, Golden State’s former Defensive Player of the Year seemed to be having fun on the dancefloor. Green showed off his singing skills and dance moves at Lillard’s wedding.

 

Green and the Warriors will meet Lillard and the Trail Blazers to open the 2021 preseason on Oct. 4 in Portland. The pair of Team USA teammates will see each other in the regular season for the first time on Nov. 26 at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

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