GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

April 20, 2026

Pat Spencer

Media Conference

Q. How do you summarize this season in which it felt like maybe a career year for you?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, I evaluate it more on a team level. Up and down injuries got us. Frustrating year that way for us, but the collective group competed. You take away top two players on any team in the NBA, it's going to be a pretty long year for anybody.

Thankful for the opportunity here to come in and compete. Tried to make the most of it and just really enjoyed the group of people and the group of guys that we had this year here, even though it was a bumpy year.

Q. To that point, the grit that you guys had when all these players were down, what was it like being in that grit and fight?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, I think it's who we are. It's who I am for sure. I can go to war with these guys any day of the week. Like I said, I think we competed. We weren't a fun outing for anybody, even though we might have been a little bit undermanned. But that's the name of the game. You lose your top two stars, it's going to be tough to compete at a championship level.

We'll see where it goes from here, but just thankful for the group that we had and how we competed.

Q. Pat, from an individual point of view, what are the things you liked about your development this season, and what are the things you think, okay, go back this summer and maybe work on this, that, or the other?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, shot the ball much better from the three this year. Found something about halfway, two-thirds of the way through the year just mechanically that I really liked for my shot, so at an all-time high confidence-wise with that.

I want to get better off the bounce with it, but just really grateful for the extended minutes and the opportunity to get on the floor and get in a flow and have a little bit of a rhythm that way and find some things out about my game.

For me it's about defensively being able to take on the challenge of maybe some high-level guards in order to get on the floor next to a guy like Steph or some superstars that had the ball in their hands a little bit more; you got to be able to do some other things.

I think I can operate in the pick and roll pretty well and do things of that nature, but defending at a high level is something that's going to be able to keep me on the floor.

Q. There's a lot of speed in lacrosse. NBA speed, quickness different?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, different, and I played all offense in lacrosse. Just had to get my body back in shape after that one year at Northwestern to be able to defend at a high level.

My body feels great right now, but there's always a next step you can take as far as learning from high-level defenders like Dray. Even a guy like Melt who is really good on the ball.

So just taking pointers and taking on the challenge in the offseason to go defend some high-level guys and compete.

So that's really where my focus is.

Q. Steph and Draymond, everyone who comes up here, has talked about what Steve has meant to them during their career. For you, what has Steve meant for you in your career, and what has it been like the last few days with all the uncertainty over whether he's coming back or not coming back?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, I owe Steve everything. He's been like a second father to me since I've been here as far as just giving me guidance day in and day out.

I think people realize they see what Steve did in those Chicago years, but what they might not understand is that he had a similar journey. You know, he was a little bit of a journeyman for a while. He didn't know where his role and his minutes would come in during games.

So Steve probably got the broadest spectrum of anybody that's ever played in the league from announcing to front office stuff to coaching to being a journeyman, to being a knock-down shooter for a championship team. You need a level-headed opinion, someone to bounce anything off of, he's the guy I go to.

Just grateful for our relationship, what he's done for me. Can't say enough about him. It would be an honor to have him back here. I think they probably feel the same way. We'll see how it plays out.

Q. Have you been able to talk to the front office about your future here or anything like that?

PAT SPENCER: Yeah, those conversations are private. A lot of things to play out in the offseason. It's not even the offseason for a large number of times still, so yeah, we'll see where things go, but grateful for my time here. I would love to be back in some capacity, but you just don't know how those things will play out. Too many things to unfold at the moment.

Those conversations are private for us.