Warriors’ Pat Spencer continues to make strong case for promotion

December 7, 2025

The Warriors needed bodies in Cleveland. What they got was Pat Spencer taking over the fourth quarter like he had been waiting his entire sports life for this exact moment.

Spencer, the former lacrosse superstar turned NBA longshot, made his first career start Saturday and delivered the best game of his very unlikely basketball journey. Nineteen points, seven assists, one turnover, four rebounds and a steal.

He finished plus-nine in a five-point win and mixed in a little trash talk to make sure the moment landed.

This was not a surprise to Golden State. In the two games leading up to Saturday, Spencer was already averaging 16.5 points on blistering efficiency.

With the Warriors shorthanded, Steve Kerr gave him the nod. Spencer rewarded him by scoring 12 of his 19 in the fourth, burying back-to-back threes when the Cavaliers cut the lead to five, then hitting the free throws that sealed the win. He even waved goodbye to the Cleveland crowd.

“We have seen the competitiveness,” Kerr told reporters. “He has really improved his jump shot. He is never going to be (Stephen Curry), but he is a threat out there.”

His path is one of the strangest in the league. He was an all-time great lacrosse player at Loyola, played one year of college basketball at Northwestern, then fought through Santa Cruz before the Warriors signed him to a two-way contract. They converted him for playoff eligibility last spring and brought him back on a new two-way deal this fall.

Golden State has a full 15-man roster. If Spencer keeps playing like this, that will eventually change.

“It is fun to watch a guy who has had to fight for everything finally get his moment,” Kerr said. “This guy is a competitor.”