Pat Spencer and his journey from lacrosse legend to trusted Golden State Warriors playmaker has always sounded unbelievable on paper, but the 30-year-old guard keeps proving that his past is a critical part of his present.
Before becoming the two-way spark plug Dub Nation now rallies behind, Spencer was rewriting history at Loyola University Maryland. Between 26 and 29, he set the Division One record for assists with 231 and earned the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, college lacrosse’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
Only after transferring to Northwestern for the 2019-20 season did basketball officially take priority. But as Spencer continues carving out real minutes with Golden State, the overlap between the sports is clear, especially to him.
Kerith Burke, Zena Keita and Festus Ezeli asked Spencer how much his lacrosse background factors into his feel for the game after he dropped a career-best 19 points with 7 assists in a 99 to 94 win over the Cavaliers, during “Warriors Postgame Live” on NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It definitely does help,” Spencer told Burke, Ezeli and Keita. “[I] just feel like there’s a real overlap between the two sports. I’m a believer in being an athlete first. Ultimately, my focus is going to be on being a team player, pass-first and [to] get other guys involved and find a way to help the team win. If it means scoring a couple of big buckets, great; if it means I score zero points, I’m truly happy to do it.”
Saturday’s matchup marked Spencer’s first start under coach Steve Kerr, and the former lacrosse attackman handled the moment with the same precision he once used to command an offense behind the net. His reads, his patience, his understanding of spacing, all look like football-field vision applied to a basketball court.
And Kerr’s endorsement could not be louder. The Warriors coach called Spencer “that motherf–ker,” a line that instantly went viral and reflected how much trust Spencer has earned inside the locker room.
“His coach realized that Pat is that motherf–ker.”
Steve Kerr knows Pat Spencer is HIM 😤 pic.twitter.com/hCT8DKTHle
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 7, 2025
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